CITYWATCH Providence library still struggles with funding BY BRIAN C. JONES

Like a book that seems to go on and on without a quick or satisfactory ending, the continuing financial plight of the Providence Public Library is prompting another round of cutbacks in the state’s largest library system. Saying the City of Providence can’t chip in the nearly $500,000 extra sought by administrators for the next budget, the library has announced it will scale back operating hours for its 10 branches by about 15 percent.

This follows the money woes last summer that the led the library to lay off 21 workers, including some librarians in its premier Statewide Reference Resource Center, which serves all of Rhode Island, as well as the city. But this time, the library says it’s not looking at layoffs of permanent employees, although it won’t renew its contract at midyear for six "temporary" workers brought in to provide some of the services performed by the dismissed workers.

While the loss of the temporary clerks will probably add to the workload of the remaining 179 employees, the library says it hopes to give the permanent workforce a raise this year — something the employees went without last year. The atmosphere itself seems somewhat less charged than in 2004, when the proposed changes provoked noisy rallies, one of which flowed into the central library itself.

"We recognize that the city cannot currently support the library to the level it wishes," Dale Thompson, the library’s director, says in a statement, obviously going out of her way to avoid blaming the city.

Further, the library is keeping in touch with the public with a series of meetings to discuss the reduced hours, with sessions May 9 through 12 covering each of the branches. A series of community meetings was also held last winter. This may be an acknowledgement of the reaction to last year’s approach, which sparked a number of protest organizations, including one that’s still active, the Library Reform Group.

"We are heartened about the tone, and that they are not talking about closing branches," says Patricia Raub, one of the leaders of the reform group. "But we want the public to have more input in the decisions, in terms of a place on the [library] board and attendance at board of trustees’ meetings."

Bills now making their way through the General Assembly require that any library getting state funds operate under the state’s open meeting law. State House officials say passage is likely, in part because Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox (D-Providence) is the House sponsor.

Although it’s a private, not-for-profit corporation, the Providence library gets most of its $7.7 million budget from city and state taxpayers. Among the major sources of income are $3 million from the city; about $1.3 million in state grant money; another $924,000 from the state for the reference center; and $2.2 million from the library’s own resources.

Library officials acknowledge that the cutbacks over the last two years won’t solve the long-term issues. "This isn’t the way to go," says spokeswoman Tonia Mason, who cites the need for new ways to operate the library in the future. Mason says more public meetings will be held on this topic.

As to the hours to be cut back, a letter to patrons posted on the library Web site, www.provlib.org, anticipates a cumulative weekly reduction of 55 to 65 hours throughout the system. The library says that citywide it runs a total 418.5 hours a week, with the Rochambeau, Mount Pleasant, and Knight Memorial branches having the most generous schedules, each logging 58 hours a week. The reduced hours will take effect July 1.