Key Library Program at Risk Due to State Budget Woes

Huntley Area Public Library District officials worry about the future of a key service it provides to patrons, a service that is being hit hard by the state's financial meltdown.

"It's a tough situation all around, financially, for all organizations that are reliant on funding from the state," said Patrick McDonald, library director.

Huntley is part of a local library system, North Suburban Library System (NSLS), which serves libraries in McHenry, Kane, Cook and Lake counties. NSLS essentially ceased operations in July, keeping only a skeletal crew to run a resource program that allows patrons to check out books from other libraries, McDonald said.

This program allows libraries to have access to a larger collection of materials by borrowing copies to libraries within the system without having to purchase individual copies, he said. "For each library, it's a win, win," he said.

Because NSLS and its services are so vital, Huntley and 47 other libraries contributed emergency funds to keep the service going, he said. The funding helped NSLS get through the beginning of last month, but the remaining program is once again in jeopardy, he said.

NSLS was hoping to get state funding by now, McDonald said.

Under state law, Illinois must provide that funding. Rather than getting full funding, NSLS received about half, a spokeswoman said.

The funding may keep the interlibrary loan program going until the beginning of next year, McDonald said. Beyond that point, McDonald does not know what will happen to the program.

Illinois library systems are critical to library services, NSLS and other library systems deliver more than 30 million items annually, Leigh Ann Porsch said. The online catalogs for more than 800 Illinois libraries are operated by the library systems and are used to circulate more than 45 million library resources per year to Illinois residents.

Library systems also serve all 102 Illinois counties with Talking Book Program services for residents unable to read conventional print material due to a visual or physical disability, Porsch said.

 "We are glad there's actually money for NSLS to continue delivery, they (just) haven't said how long that money will get them through," McDonald said.

NSLS is working with another library system to merge operations, a process that could take until July of 2011 to accomplish, he said. Every library system is pretty much in the same boat, he said. The funds due by law from the state have not been coming through, he said.

Huntley library contributed $8,500 in emergency funds, he said. It was completely unexpected, he said. The library itself is watching its budget and trying to keep costs down.

"I'm actually very proud of how the libraries came together to keep this going," McDonald said. "It is a service that is widely used by many patrons."

Huntley library put contact information for the governor's office and local legislators' addresses and phone numbers on its Web site to inform patrons about with the hopes they will reach out to lawmakers.

"What we want to do is get the information out there and obviously they can make their own decision as to whether they want their voice heard and want to say something," McDonald said.

"It's a vital service in terms of the sharing of library materials that a lot of people have enjoyed and taken advantage of it," McDonald said. "It may be one of those things you don't know what you've got until it's gone. If for some reason this service were to go away, it would be a real shame and it would surprise a lot of people."