Potential Budget Cuts Could Reduce Services at Rye Free Reading Room

As the city begins to prepare its budget for the 2011 fiscal year amid the ongoing economic crisis, the Rye Free Reading is facing a 16.5 percent budget cut.

In 2010, the city provided around 75 percent, or a little over $1.15 million, of the library's $1.5 million budget, an $18,000 reduction from the funding the city provided the library in 2008.

Maria Lagonia, Acting Director of the Rye Free Reading Room, said the library is asking to be treated fairly alongside other municipal functions when it comes to cutting funding. To Lagonia, the proposed 16.5 percent cut is overly aggressive, but she said the library doesn't expect to arrive at a final number with the city until December.

"We are working closely with city officials to develop a budget that will sustain the library and allow us to serve the community, while being good civic partners and absorbing a manageable reduction in funding for next year," Lagonia said.

On a recent rainy afternoon, the Rye Free Reading Room was full of people, mostly families with young children. Several of the patrons said they visit the library two to three times a week, something that could change if the library had to reduce its hours.

During a presentation to the City Council in June, City Comptroller Jean Gribbins stated that reducing the amount of library funding by $190,000, or providing $965,000 in funding for the library, would create a 1 percent savings for the city. But Gribbins said that this same 1 percent savings would translate into a reduction of materials and programs for patrons, deferring repairs and maintenance to the building, and leaving one full-time position unfilled.

According to Lagonia, after funding reductions in the 2009 budget, the library reduced its hours. Lagonia said patrons are already disappointed in the lack of evening hours, which makes it difficult for working patrons and students to access the collections and computers.

"It is hard to imagine the library enduring a $190,000 cut in city funding without significant cuts in public services, including the tremendously well-attended programs we offer every year," Lagonia said.

Some of those programs are story time for preschoolers, which is an event at the library with stories and puppets. One child leaving the program was overheard saying, "This was the funnest day ever."

Carol Holowiak, a nanny in Rye, makes going to the library two or three times a week part of her routine.

"I bring him for the activities," Holowiak said.

Another patron, Valerie, also a nanny in Rye who declined to give her last name, said the library and the opportunities it provides are essential for the community.

"They have a great selection books." Valerie said. "The library is important because they have a lot of learning activities for kids and it offers the chance for the children to interact with each other."

The Rye Free Reading Room is funded primarily by the City of Rye and by private fundraising. But New York has also cut funding to libraries such as the Westchester Library system, which can affect the system's ability to provide services to libraries in the county.

"The New York State budget will have more ramifications for the Westchester Library System and that will have a domino effect for the individual libraries," Robin Lettieri, director of the Port Chester-Rye Brook Public Library, said.

According to Lettieri, the Port Chest-Rye Brook Public Library's annual budget is a little over $1.4 million, which is slightly less than that of the Rye Free Reading.

Lagonia said the economic downturn will continue to affect many local libraries.

"Despite the generosity of our wonderful donors, The Rye Free Reading Room, like other libraries, is feeling squeezed from all sides."