Library directors say staffing shortage affects building hours, available programs
It could come down to a tough choice Jeff Swope hesitates to make: "Will we become the library we can afford to be, rather than the library we strive to be."
As executive director of Bosler Memorial Library, he compares the situation to teetering on the edge of a cliff.
To receive state funding, public libraries need to be open a minimum of 45 hours a week, including seven hours on the weekend. But to be open, each library needs stable and adequate staffing.
"We are struggling to have employees come onboard, stay and work their way up through to become lifelong professionals," Swope said. "At Bosler, the starting salary for our front-line staff is $11.68 an hour. You can go to Rutter's, Sheetz or McDonalds and make $15, $16, $20 an hour."
The need to bring library wages closer to competitive levels is among the drivers behind the recent request for an increase in the county library tax.
"It's not as much keeping the lights on as being able to staff those libraries," said Carolyn Blatchley, executive director of the Cumberland County Library System. There have been cases where if more than one person calls off sick, the library can't open because there are not enough employees to support operations, she said.
A minimum increase from 0.166 mills to 0.249 mills would be enough for Bosler and the other member libraries to adjust wages closer to market values, Blatchley told the county commissioners. "That would be a huge step for us." The libraries could also restore positions lost to attrition, she said.
Rising costs combined with flat state funding is forcing local libraries to cut hours, trim staff, reduce programs and dig deeper into savings to make budget and reduce operating deficits. The problems are escalating amid population growth and an increased demand for services.
In the past year, Bosler had to shed 25% of its staff positions, Swope said. "We are working at 75% capacity. We are managing on a razor's edge. We are doing everything we can to maintain all that we do already. My staff is burning out. We're not going to be able to maintain this pace for the long term.
"We are very lucky to have the staff we have," he said. "They do it because they love the mission of the library. But they are also citizens in our community and when there is an outcry for better, livable wages, that can't stop at the doors of a nonprofit. It has just been a slow boil until, now, we are at the point where we have to go to the commissioners and say we have made do. We have exhausted all the options."
The commissioners have yet to act on the request, which first came up during a Nov. 6 finance meeting. Last week, the commissioners voted 2-1 to put on public display a proposed 2025 budget that calls for a 4% real estate tax increase that could cost the average homeowner $22.42 per year. The minimum increase requested by the library system would add another $17 to the annual tax bill.
The proposed library tax hike has divided the commissioners into two camps. While Jean Foschi said she favors an increase of up to 0.332, Kelly Neiderer and Gary Eichelberger are holding out on any commitment until they get answers from Blatchley on key financial questions. For the library directors, the outcome could be crucial.
"We made a cut last year into this year of three hours," Swope said. "We have made an additional cut of three hours from this year into next year. Those six hours are about 9% of our overall hours. The truth is if we are not able to procure additional funding through an increase in millage, we are looking at an additional four to 10 hours over the next year.
"We have not cut programs yet, but we had to start saying no to things," he said. "We had to start to turn down opportunities to do outreach in the community."
In Mechanicsburg, the Joseph T. Simpson Public Library lost 10 employees over the past year, Director Sue Erdman said. "We did not cut. Those were people who left on their own. Several for jobs with better benefits and higher salaries. Sometimes, the replacement process takes awhile to get a new person onboard. Other staff have to pitch in hours for that position."
For almost three months now, the Simpson Public Library has been advertising a vacant children's program position, Erdman said. "Our pool of applicants is next to none. We've had very little interest in a professional person who will be working with children and teaching them literacy skills."
Depending on the size and scope of the operation, there are libraries that employ reference librarians whose salaries and benefits do not match up with the master's degree they need to qualify for the job, she said.
In recent years, fiscal challenges have forced the Amelia Givin Library in Mount Holly Springs to eliminate hours and cut back on some activities for children and adults, Director Cynthia Thompson said. "The starting wage for our library assistants is $12 an hour. That's a lot less than what you can make at Target or Walmart. It's difficult finding people. It can take longer to find people for a job."
Systemwide, most front-line staff have no benefits or leave accrual, Blatchley said, adding that their hourly wages should be at least $14-$15.
"Library directors are master-degree level librarians with finance and nonprofit management backgrounds," Blatchley said. "They are highly skilled individuals. Our directors generally start between $50,000 to $68,328 with benefits. It should be in the $80,000 to $90,000 range.
"So many of our libraries have cut their custodial staff and are just making do," she said. "It's inadequate in terms of maintenance and cleaning. Everybody is talking about where they could make cuts to their hours."
There are libraries in the system that are considering cuts of up to 16-24 hours per week, she said.
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