Williamsburg Regional
Library Reinstitutes
Limited Purchasing of Materials
Hiring freeze remains in place
The Williamsburg Regional Library (WRL) Board of Trustees revised the
library's collections budget at their October 23 meeting, allowing limited resumption of the purchase of books, videos, CDs and
DVDs. The freeze on filling vacated staff positions remains in place, however,
and is likely to until at least July 2003. The WRL Board had previously frozen all materials purchases and the filling of
vacant staff positions on September 25 in anticipation of deep cuts in library aid provided to localities by the Commonwealth.
The revised budget will allow approximately $11,000 per month in purchases of new material
through the current fiscal year, which ends in June 2003. Prior to the materials freeze, the
library budgeted approximately $34,000 per month toward the purchase of new books and
other library materials.
"These actions represent a prudent resumption of purchasing, while
taking into account our expectation of further reductions in state aid to libraries," said WRL Board Chair Mary Ann Brendel. On October
15 Governor Warner cut 15% from State Aid to Public Libraries, an $18.8
million line item in the Commonwealth's budget, in an attempt to close the state's budget
deficit. "We fully expect that there will be further reductions when the Governor presents his revised
budget to the General Assembly on December 20," Brendel said. The Board said they would reexamine the collections budget after the
Governor's message. "The figures approved in the revised collections budget reflect a 'worse-case' situation," Brendel said.
In order to mitigate the loss of state aid and allow resumption of
materials purchasing, WRL Director John A. Moorman told the WRL Board he intends to continue the freeze on filling vacant staff positions
through the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends in June 2003. The library system presently has eight vacancies that are affected by
this freeze, representing 7 percent of the library's employees. "Our overall efforts with these actions are aimed at protecting the staff
who provides the excellent service our patrons have come to expect," Moorman said. He said that re-examining the hiring freeze will hinge
on future action by the Governor and General Assembly.
The Williamsburg Regional Library system consists of the Williamsburg Library, the James City County Library and a Bookmobile. Its service
area includes more than 49,000 patrons in the City of Williamsburg, James City County, and York County. There are more than 335,000
items in the library's print and non-print collection.
RELATED ARTICLE:
State Budget Concerns Result in Freeze of Materials
Purchases and Hiring at Williamsburg Regional Library -
9/27/02
