AURORA — One library will close and the six others in the city will shut down at least one more day each week as officials find ways to balance the budget in these tough economic times.
The last day for the Chambers Plaza Library at East Colfax Avenue and Chambers Road will be April 6. It is the smallest of Aurora’s seven libraries, has the lowest number of users and is open only 16 hours a week.
The Iliff Square Library will be closed two extra days a week. And the city’s flagship library, the Central Library at the municipal center, will be closed Fridays.
“I’m very sad,” said Patti Bateman, library services manager for Aurora.
“It’s frustrating for our citizens. It’s frustrating for our staff.”
City officials were reluctant to cut the library budget and in recent years brought back cuts that had been made several years ago.
This year, the city decided to cut library hours to help make up an $8 million budget shortfall. Next year’s budget may need to be cut up to $25 million.
The library reductions will save the city several hundred thousand dollars this year. Closing Chambers Plaza will mean an extra $120,000 in savings.
City Councilman Bob FitzGerald said a citizen survey showed that libraries ranked fifth in priority, after police, fire, water and roads.
“As a municipal corporation, you have to cover the nuts and bolts of the things you do,” FitzGerald said. “It wasn’t something we wanted. But it’s not like we’re without libraries.”
There are two libraries within 2 miles of Chambers Plaza, so patrons won’t have to travel too far.
Still, news that the library was shutting down was met with surprise and displeasure Wednesday for those reading a book or surfing the Internet there.
“This library is totally inadequate and not open enough hours, but it’s all we got and we need it,” said Bill Murray, 81.
Kim Stone was at Chambers Plaza using one of its five computers to update her resume. She hopes to find work as a nurse.
“Where are we going to go?” she said. “This is not good. It’s all about the bottom line.”
Nationwide, library visits were up 10 percent in 2008 compared with data collected during the last economic downturn, in 2001, according to the American Library Association.
The city had considered creating a library district, which would be a separate entity from the city, to fund the system but decided against it.
It’s now considering asking voters in November to fund a property-tax hike for libraries, which cost about $6.5 million a year. If that passes, some of the cuts could be restored.
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com
