PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – The Providence Public Library laid off 21 employees and will close the Central Library for a week while the staff adjusts to the changes.

The library cut seven librarians on Friday-almost half of the staff at the Central Library-and 14 members of the support staff, The Providence Journal reported.

Of the 21 job cuts, 16 library workers took voluntary buyouts and five were laid off, said Providence Library Director Dale Thompson.

Thompson also announced that the Central Library’s weekly schedule would be reduced from 61 hours to 48 hours. Hours at the branches will not be affected.

The announcements came after weeks of protests over the budget cuts. On Friday, library workers gathered at the Decatur Lounge in Providence, where they had planned a fund-raising event for the “Providence Public Library Defense Fund.” More than 50 people attended, including Mayor David Cicilline.

Library workers said the cuts will hurt patrons.

However, the library director said the cuts are necessary. The library is restructuring its downtown headquarters to reflect financing issues, Thompson said. As a private nonprofit, the library receives state, city and private money.

Thompson warned that the library may be forced to make more layoffs if the city does not increase its level of financing.

The library needs about $3.7 million from Providence to keep the branches at their current hours and staffing. Currently, the city has budgeted $3 million, the same amount as last year.

The state pays $880,110 toward the Central Library’s State Reference Resource Center. The center is home to material that many smaller libraries across the state cannot afford, such as specialized art indexes, and scientific and technical information.

Thompson said a study of the library’s budget showed that the statewide resource center is draining the library’s money, including private donations.

The reorganization will isolate the reference center, so state money is spent appropriately and private donations are directed to the library’s other programs, she said.

The amount of money spent on new books and materials for the resource center will not change, she added.

AP-ES-07-18-04 1333EDT