JMRL Board Votes Unanimously to Close Scottsville Library

Updated: 2:23 PM Mar 1, 2010

The Budget Committee of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library Board met Friday and unanimously agreed, reluctantly, to recommend closure of Scottsville Library and reduction of service hours at Crozet Library in response to Albemarle County's proposed budget shortfall.

Posted: 9:20 AM Mar 1, 2010
Reporter: Stephanie Satchell
Email Address: stephanie.satchell@newsplex.com

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March 1, 2010

UPDATE:

Unless the JMRL board can convince Albemarle County to give it more money, the board said they'll close the Scottsville Library branch and reduce hours at the Crozet Library by July 1.

Albemarle County's proposed budget included a 5 percent funding cut for the JMRL system. According to the library's budget committee, that reduction would have the most impact on two of the smaller branches.

Once the committee went through its budget line by line and item by item, they now recommend that the JMRL board close the Scottsville Library and reduce hours at the Crozet branch.

Board president Tony Townsend said this recommendation may hurt the community, but right now, the board doesn't have many other options.

"It's not that it's just a collection of books its a community resource," Townsend said. "Scottsville and the southern portion of the county is one of the more economically challenged areas of the county, so what you're doing is removing the resource from some of the poorer residents of Albemarle County."

If they don't get additional funding, the Scottsville Library will close July 1.

The books would have to be moved to other JMRL locations, and some employees may be able to fill vacant positions at other branches.

Townsend said he doesn't expect any private donors to step in and help, so they're still looking to supervisors to do what they can to keep the library open.

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The Scottsville closure and cuts at Crozet would be effective July 1.

Library Board President Anthony Townsend said, “Despite comments by the County Executive about not closing libraries, his proposed budget would do just that. JMRL has been underfunded for years and cannot lose over $242,591 without reducing services. Taxpayers understand that.”

Townsend said Scottsville and Crozet libraries are the only two libraries funded completely by Albemarle County. “We did not become Library Trustees to close libraries, but Albemarle’s proposed budget leaves no reasonable choice.”

Townsend suggested that Scottsville and Crozet area residents contact the Albemarle Board of Supervisors and attend the County’s March 3rd public hearing, 6:00 p.m., if they hope to save their libraries.

Regional Library Director John Halliday said the library is doing everything it can to minimize service reductions but added, “The Library Board went through the budget line-by-line looking for savings to avoid service reductions.”

Halliday said the County’s budget proposal is 5% less than the library received in 2008/2009 and 7.5% less than is needed to maintain services in 2010/2011.

Under the Regional Library Agreement, since 1972 each locality, including Albemarle, Charlottesville, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson, has paid its fair share of library costs based on actual library use by its citizens. Almost 50,000 Albemarle residents are regular library users.

Halliday said, “Use of Jefferson-Madison Regional Library by Albemarle residents has never been higher than this year. It will be a shame if the County cannot maintain such a valuable and popular service.”

Latest Comments

Posted by: Kathryn Location: Lovingston on Mar 3, 2010 at 01:49 PM

Nelson keeps its part of the agreement. Nelson has much less ability to pay than Albemarle. It has one library. Why should services be reduced there because Albemarle won't pay its share?

Posted by: Kevin Location: Scottsville on Mar 2, 2010 at 11:29 AM

As a board you are unimaginative, uninventive and unpatriotic in these difficult times. Your funding should include all libraries. Scottsville Library has been part of our community since I was a child and in these times it is a necessary and vital part of our families lives. 5% is not a reason to close, just a reason to use your talents to figure out a way for all our citizens to have access to our libraries. Have any of you been in the Scottsville Library recently? It is filled every hour of operation with families, young people who have no access to computers, home schoolers during the day who use the library as part of their cirriculium, unemployed who are trying to find work and the rest in between. Consider who you are hurting, only the southern part of the county. All taxpayers should carry and feel the burden of our difficult economic times.

Posted by: Kristen Location: Scottsville on Mar 2, 2010 at 11:22 AM

You all should be ashamed of yourselves and your decision. You cannot tell the people of our community that if is fair to close our branch completely and reduce Crozet, without reductions being made to the other branches. A compromise would have been acceptable and understandable. Surely the good people of Charlottesville who value their libraries and the important role they play in our communities would agree that a reduction in ALL branches to keep ALL branches open would have been better for ALL communities. Signed Sadly Disappointed

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