In other years, the budget proposed Feb. 9 by County Administrator Kirby Bowers would seem like nothing more than a packet full of numbers, statistics and graphs. This year, however, in the midst of an economic downturn, no single group of numbers could be more important.

Facing a $200 million shortfall, the Board of Supervisors instructed Bowers to propose a budget that had tiered cuts to reduce spending by 5, 10 and 15 percent on top of the base budget reductions. On the cutting room floor sits many programs and services that the county has come to depend on, especially in times of economic hardship.

The library system is one of these services on the front lines of the budget battle. Though the library comprises only 1 percent of the total budget, according to Scott Stewart, chairman of the Loudoun County Library Board of Trustees, it is facing cuts that will have a significant impact on the community.

"There is no cut that does not do irreparable damage to this model of service to the Loudoun County citizenry," Stewart wrote in a letter to library supporters. "When there is nothing extra to cut, the core functions must be gutted. Every library in the system is affected, not just your local branch."

At the base budget cut level, which would give no increase in tax funding, the library system would be facing a 7.5 percent decrease in its funding overall. At this initial level, the libraries would be forced to lay off nine staff members and the After Hours Teen Center and Outreach Services to the elderly would be eliminated. Also, all library branches would be closed Sundays.

AT THE FIRST TIER of cuts, which reduce the budget an additional 5 percent, the libraries’ hours of operation would be reduced Mondays through Thursdays to eight hours per day instead of 11 and summer reading and early literacy programs will be eliminated. Also, 29 more staff members would be laid off, bringing the total to 35.

With a 10 percent reduction in local tax funding, all branches would close on Fridays in top of the base and 5 percent cuts. Further cuts would bring the total number of laid-off employees to at least 53 and collection acquisitions would be reduced by 45 percent. Total closure for the Sterling Library is also a possibility.
According to Nancy Nuell, who represents the Potomac District on the Library Board of Trustees, the library system is on the chopping block even though it is just a sliver of the budget pie because there is little "pork" in the system’s budget. As a result, any cuts in the system’s funding will have a tremendous impact, as all the money that the system receives is for necessities.

"The impact of even a small reduction is hard on the libraries," Nuell said. "The [library] budget is so small that consequently, there is not a lot of fat to be cut. They run a very lean organization."
Nuell contends the "lean" system needs all the funding it can get, especially in a lean economy. Nuell said that in the past year, there has been a 15 percent increase in library usage. She said that more people are choosing to borrow books and DVDs instead of purchasing them and that more people are using the libraries for computers to type resumes and the Internet to search for job postings.

"I feel strongly that our libraries are a source of enrichment and a safe haven to people during these [tough] economic times," Nuell said. "Our libraries provide a safe environment."

Sterling District Trustee Suzanne Volpe echoed Nuell’s sentiment about the libraries becoming more useful in difficult times. She said that the libraries have become a place for the community to gather, especially as the libraries are needed more often for organizational meetings for entities like HOAs who do not have a meeting room and for reading and language classes for groups from all reaches of the community.

Volpe noted that the Sterling school cluster has the highest percentage of students needing English as a Second Language classes and is worried that some people in the county may not even be aware that they may be losing these services because they do not speak English. In addition, she said that more low-income families who need to use computers to do school work are using the library, as well as a high number of homeschooled students using them for textbooks.

"In reality, the Sterling Library is like a town square for the community," Volpe said. "So, we are talking about taking services away from the town square."

IN RESPONSE to the proposed cutbacks, both Volpe and Nuell said that they have seen an outpouring of support and concern for the future of the library system. Nuell, who also serves on the Cascades Library Advisory Board said that the group, along with Friends of the Middleburg Library and other organizations that provide aid to the libraries are planning to distribute fliers detailing the specifics of the tiered cuts and what they, as citizens, will be losing. The groups are also encouraging people to attend the Board of Supervisors’ budget input meetings to voice their support.

"I’ve gotten many comments via e-mail, personal letters and more," Nuell said. "The community is very concerned. I’m hearing a lot [of concern] and it is touching every age group and every ethnic group. I think we will see a large presence at the Board of Supervisors meetings."