I hope that you all enjoyed the holiday season and weathered last week's storm without too much trouble. 2014 has already started out as an adventure!
Here at MAPL, we are weathering our own storm -- at the center of which is a reduced budget for this calendar year. For several years now, we have had to tighten up our belt, cut back where we can, while always trying to maintain excellent service and resources for our patrons. Unfortunately, this year, the cuts (on top of previous years' cuts) were too deep, and we've had to take more drastic measures.
Starting on January 1, our fines have increased. The general fines that were 5 cents previously have risen to 10 cents, and our 10 cent fines have risen to 20 cents. We will maintain Rapid Reads fines at 25 cents and DVD fines at $1.00.
Starting this Wednesday, on January 8th, the library will close at 6pm - instead of 9pm as was our schedule in the past. Please keep in mind that we are still open every weekday at 9am, we are open on Monday and Thursday evenings until 9pm, and we are open on weekends as well: Saturdays, 9-5, and Sundays, 12-5.
Unfortunately, the above are necessary changes so that we can provide the level of service that our patrons expect. If you would like to assist us by making a donation to the library, please don't hesitate to contact me at (732) 583-9100 or kpaone@lmxac.org.
It's really a shame with how much we pay in property taxes that *this* is where cuts are made - a place open and beneficial to everyone.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your concern, but I should clarify: since our funding is based on tax assessments, our budget cuts are largely due to tax revenue lost due to Hurricane Sandy, and reassessments on other properties. We have also steadily lost state aid over the past several years.
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