Administrators of the Monroe County Library System are
ìsitting on pins and needlesî these days, says MCLS director Richard Panz, but
not in anticipation of the long-delayed fifth Harry Potter book.

In this
case, itís the figures for the countyís share of the library systemís 2003
budget that are late --- over three months late, and counting. And given prior
reductions in city and stateís share of the library budget, library
administrators will likely have to perform some financial sorcery to avoid
major cuts in hours and services in the near future.

The MCLS
consists of three interconnected parts: the Central Library (which includes the
Rundel Library Building and the Bausch & Lomb Public Library Building), 10
branch libraries located within the city, and 41 public libraries scattered
throughout the county. Each part is funded by a different mix of public and
private sources. Itís a budgetary scheme that couldnít be more complicated if
it was devised by ìa group of baboons,î quipped MCLS trustee George Wolf.

However,
the complexity of library funding isnít the problem. Scarcity is.

Most of the
cityís share of the budget goes toward the 10 branch locations in Rochester.
For the 2002-2003 fiscal year that began July 1, the city provided $3.2 million
--- $78,000 less than last year. Thatís forced library administrators to shave
operating hours at the municipal branches by about 5 percent, a move that will
eliminate Sunday hours at the Arnett and Winton branches this fall, among other
reductions.

Concerning
the cityís share, ìthe news is not great,î Panz says, ìbut it could be a lot
worse.î For example, thereís the news this year from Albany.

The stateís
contribution, which covers the cost of inter-library services and a
small-but-significant share of the Central Libraryís expenses, is the same this
year as it was in 1997: $2.1 million. As Panz sees it, years of stagnant state
aid, combined with inflation, constitute a $350,000 loss in funding over the
past five years.

That
shortage was a big factor in the recent decision to discontinue loans of videos
and DVDs from Rundel to other libraries in the system, a policy that takes
effect August 1. Panz says directors and trustees of other MCLS libraries are
considering instituting this policy system-wide. He also says thereís been
serious discussion this year among MCLS trustees to impose fees for holds and
book transfers between MCLS libraries, a controversial idea many feel
undermines one of the basic values of public libraries --- equal access to
information.

Though Panz
says his ìbig beef right now is with the state,î regarding ìthe county, we just
donít know yet.î

The county
provides over 65 percent of the Central Libraryís budget, and belt-tightening
at the county level has already had an impact. The hiring freeze dictated
earlier this year by County Executive Jack Doyle has left 20 vacant positions
at the Central Library unfilled, and patrons are feeling the effects of staff
shortages. ìSomeone called me today [complaining about having to] wait on hold
for 45 minutes,î Panz said in a recent interview. ìPart of that has to do with
the job freeze... Iím gonna get more calls like that. There are less people to
answer the phones.î

Anticipating
the countyís cut, the library has also stopped publishing its directory of
neighborhood associations and a directory of human service agencies, resources
it had provided the community for over 20 years.

Further
funding shortfalls will begin ìcutting into the meat and boneî of library
services, says Bill Pontius, executive director of the Friends of the Rochester
Public Library. But without a sense of how much county money, if any, the
system stands to lose this year, itís impossible for anyone, library
administrators included, to say how painful those cuts will be.

County
officials have traditionally provided the library system with budget figures in
early April of each year. But by the end of June, the numbers were still not
available --- a delay Panz says was unprecedented in his 13 years as director.

County
Legislator Karla Boyce, the lejís liaison to the MCLS Board of Trustees, did
not return calls seeking comment.

County
administration spokesman James Smith says the administration intends to provide
the library with budget figures ìas quickly as possible,î but would not
speculate as to when that might be. Smith cites the countyís current budget
squeeze as the reason the libraryís 2003 figures are late this year. He says
the county will have a better idea how much money the library will get after
other financial data --- such as savings realized when county employees take
advantage of an early retirement plan --- is calculated.

Smith
also notes that the countyís budget priorities are public safety and public
health. ìThere are need-to-have services and nice-to-have services,î he says.

Panz and
his fellow administrators are well aware of Doyleís request that administrators
of all county departments, including the library, prepare scenarios that take
spending reductions of 10, 15, and 20 percent into account.

But in the
absence of budget figures from the Doyle administration, the MCLS budgeted a
county contribution of $7.4 million for this fiscal year, the same amount it
had received from the county for the past several years. ìWe tried to pick a
conservative number, one that wouldnít devastate library services,î Panz says.
ìHad there been a 5-percent cut, it would really start showing some erosion of
services, and the county could come back and say, ëWe didnít tell you to cut
anything.íî

A
5-percent cut in county funds would be tough to absorb, but a 10-percent cut
threatens to cause more than twice the financial strain on services offered by
the Central Library that a 5-percent cut would entail.

Thatís
because of a semi-obscure state provision that cuts state funding for a
systemís central library by 25 percent if the library fails to secure 95
percent of its budget from local sources over a period of two years. Thus, a
10-percent cut in county funds this year, averaged with last yearís flat county
funding, risks triggering a state aid penalty that would cost the Central
Library roughly $75,000 in fiscal year 2003-2004.

The library
would have the opportunity to request a waiver or pursue other action to avoid
the penalty. But failing that, Panz says such a cut in state aid would result
in a further reduction of both services and hours at the Central Library.

Both Panz
and Smith say county budget officers are aware of the provision.

Itís rare
for a library to incur that penalty. Susan Kettle, executive director of the
New York Library Association, says sheís aware of only one case of it happening
since 1989. But given what many perceive as the stateís general indifference to
library funding, itís not unimaginable to library administrators and supporters
like Pontius.

Libraries
can cut their hours as much as necessary to balance the books, Pontius says,
but if they drop below the minimum number of yearly hours required by their
charter, closure becomes a real possibility.

Although
Panz says heís ìworriedî by the possibility of a state cut triggered by a cut
in county funding, he says the county budget office is aware of the 95-percent
provision and ìweíre hoping thatíll be kept in consideration.

ìThe people
in the county budget office have been supportive,î continued Panz, whoís
retiring as MCLS director this winter. Though he doesnít know if the budget
delay ìis good news or bad newsî for Monroe Countyís libraries, he says, ìIím a
fairly optimistic person.î