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Hard times at the Toronto Public Library

Bad news for Toronto readers: faced with the city’s budget shortfall, the Toronto Public Library board has agreed to more than a million dollars in spending cuts this year. As the Toronto Star reports, that translates into no more Sunday service for 16 branches (including the Reference Library) and also means that 14,000 items have been dropped from the library’s acquisition plans. The board also put in place a hiring freeze, delayed a new branch opening at Jane and Dundas, cut its Storyteller in Residence program, and made various internal trims.

The police services board was also asked to cut money from its budget, and according to the Star article, chief Bill Blair is balking.

Meanwhile, in this Spacing post, library board member Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler says he believes that if the money is found elsewhere (for example, if council decides to exercise its taxing powers rather than just putting off a decision), the TPL should be able to reverse the cuts it’s agreed to. Let’s hope he’s right, and that council won’t just take the “well, you’ve already decided you can live with the cuts” position.

In other news, the city of Ottawa is also facing a major budget shortfall. No word yet on ramifications for the library system there, though they would seem to be likely.

By

July 26th, 2007

9:28 am

Category: Book news

Tagged with: Libraries