NORWAY – Residents may find themselves with fewer activities and books to read if they approve a $3,000 cut in the Waterford Library’s 2005 budget request, according to library officials.
The Waterford Board of Selectmen has balked at a $12,000 request from the library and at town meeting will recommend voters approve only $9,000, said Nancy Hanger of the Waterford Library Board of Trustees. But the cut would directly affect what the library has to offer, she said. “The $3,000, quite frankly, is our total book-order money.”
Betsy Tyrol, chairwoman of the library’s operations committee, said the only other place to cut $3,000 from the budget would be in utilities.
“What kind of choice is that?” she asked. “Heat or books – that doesn’t make much sense to me.”
According to Hanger and Tyrol, half the requested budget, or $6,000, would be earmarked for the salary of part-time librarian Dorthe Hillquist. Another $3,000 would go toward utilities, and the remaining money would be used for books and supplies.
Tyrol said the library is at a critical juncture. Efforts to expand the library’s presence within the community have led to the hiring of Hillquist, who works 10 hours a week, and the addition of summer programs for children. Also, adult readers this year have been offered a chance to participate in the One Book One Community program.
Hanger said the library is close to meeting the Maine Library Association’s standards for public libraries. That means it soon may be eligible for more grant money to pay for programs and activities.
Deputy State Librarian Linda Lord said that while the standards are guidelines and have no force of law, “The Maine Library Commission has said, for a library to be eligible to receive grants, it has to meet the standards.”
The standards include requirements ranging from operating hours to cataloging methods, and are adjusted depending on the size of a community, Lord said.
None of the town’s selectmen could be reached for comment Friday.
At a Jan. 5 meeting, it was Selectman Whizzer Wheeler who recommended asking voters to reduce the library request.
“I don’t think the town’s in the position to fund every service,” he said, adding that giving the library partial funding would encourage the trustees to apply for more grants.
Town Clerk Brenda Bigonski on Friday said she believed the board has voted to recommend trimming the library’s $12,000 request, but she did not know by how much.
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