Feeling the squeeze: Library programs continue on despite funding losses

The Sweetwater County Library's multipurpose room was filled with smiling faces Monday morning, though few as beaming as Becky Iwen's.

The library's manager of youth services, Iwen read stories and sang to 25 toddlers and parents gathered for the weekly Toddler Time program she hosts. Iwen brings an energy similar to Fred Rogers and Sheri Lewis when interacting with the children. Wearing a soft gray cardigan over a pink dress and sporting her trademark colorful hair -- this time dyed a lavender hue, the children watch closely and sing along with Iwen.

At the end of the program, some mothers and grandmothers gather their children and leave while others stay and let the toddlers color with large, circular crayons designed specifically for their tiny hands or play with basic musical instruments laid out for them. Both children and adults thank Iwen and wave to her as they walk out of the room.

Since the library started hosting programs in person, Iwen said there has been more interest in what it offers. Last week, Toddler Time attracted 33 people and attendance to other programs and usage of services has increased as well. Iwen credits this increased attention to how the library system responded as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions tightened in Wyoming. While the buildings were closed for a month, opening in May 2020, the library system didn't host in-person programming until recently. To continue engaging with patrons, libraries offered take-home activities for families and streamed programs like Toddler Time online. Those services continued through the year after the buildings reopened.

While the library system sees more demand services, it will operate at a 10% budget decrease from what it was funded last year; the latest in a series of revenue declines hitting the county-funded operation in the last decade.

The Sweetwater County commissioners approved their 2021-2022 budget June 17 and with it, a slew of cuts to county agencies and other organizations as the commissioners attempt balance the need for services against continually-declining revenues. The library system has frequently been a target of funding cuts, with prior commissioners suggesting the closure of buildings to help reign in costs. The 10% cut it receives this year represents a $335,063 cut in funding from last year, dropping from $3,350,630 to $3,060,442. Since the 2007-2008 budget, the earliest budget available on the county's website, the library's annual budget has declined by $1.77 million. During that budget year, the commissioners allocated $4,834,405 to the library system.

Jason Grubb, director of the county's library system, said the last six months have been the most difficult of his career. While 10% is significant, Grubb said the commissioners originally proposed a 20% cut, representing a loss of roughly $610,000. In what he describes as an 11th hour reconsideration, Grubb said the commissioners opted to only cut the 10% after realizing the library system would not be able to reach 20% without impacting staff.

"We could not go any lower without impacting employees," Grubb said. "When 75% of your budget is people, you can only go so far until it affects them."

Grubb said some librarians had their hours reduced to a part-time status, though he admits the 20% originally proposed would have been much harder on his staff. Iwen recalls a budget meeting amongst other managers debating what the proposed decrease would look like for library employees, saying the implications of that decrease stuck with her hours after the meeting ended.

"After we had that meeting and talked about what those budget cuts would do to the staffing at the library, I went home for lunch. When I sat down in my car to come back to work, I just sobbed," Iwen said. "This isn't about the programs we offer or the books on shelves, it impacts my library work family."

Grubb said he the most difficult aspect for him is the fact that the system's employees are either people he personally hired or had worked with prior to becoming its director. He said he understands the need to cut costs as the county and state's revenue outlook continues to worsen, but wants to protect his employees from those impacts as much as possible.

While trying to maintain service levels despite shrinking funding has stressed Grubb during the past several months, he also understands the county commissioners' position in facing declining revenue and compliments them on how they handled budget meetings.

"It's no fault of theirs," Grubb said. "They've been great to work with."

As revenues from the county's mineral-based economy continue to decline, Grubb sees the county being forced to make additional cuts, which will trickle down to other county-funded organizations. Until something happens to bolster the minerals economy or diversify the county's tax base, budget cuts are likely to continue.

A major part of cutting cost for the library system thus far has been through attrition, the closing of positions as they're vacated. These include two building manager positions and an information technology manager post being ended during the past few years. The library's administration has consolidated to consist of Grubb and two assistant directors overseeing operations three main buildings and six rural locations. He said other staff members have also stepped up over the years to absorb duties originally handled by other employees.

Looking to the future, Grubb said the county funded the libraries as well as it did in the past because it could afford to do so. With another potential budget decrease likely next year, Grubb believes the library system may need to find alternative sources of funding to support itself.

Patrons won't see the cuts impacting programs and other events hosted by the library system as those are funded through the Sweetwater County Library Foundation, a non-profit organization managing an endowment that was partially funded by the Wyoming Legislature. Grubb said endowment provides $25,000 in funding specifically for programming and special events each year. The library system has utilized those funds to pay for programs during the last several years, a move spurred by previous funding cuts. Other funding sources such as grants or private partnerships could allow the library system to operate without worry of how county funding would impact it.

Other solutions to current funding woes may only be temporary, but give Grubb and his staff some breathing room as they tackle fiscal problems. One financial burden the system will not have this year involves its digital offerings. Grubb said the Wyoming State Library received funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, which was used to pay contracts county library systems had with the state library. This includes collection access fees for Wyoming Libraries Database services and OverDrive content for the Wyoming Virtual Library, as well as access to LinkedIn Learning and Gale Business: Plan Builder and Gale Legal Forms to help workforce development in the wake of job and business losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital collection access alone would have cost the Sweetwater County Library System about $50,000, an amount which Grubb said could fund two part-time positions.

For Iwen, working at the library remains enjoyable despite dealing with the funding cuts, with her Toddler Time every Monday being a highlight of her week. Talking about watching children grow and getting to know the library families puts a joyful smile on her face. As she works on the fall event schedule, she admits to keeping an eye on how many people are needed to host an event, but believes patrons will enjoy what is being planned.

"We have some fun and creative events coming up," she said. "We want to host fun events the community will want to be involved in."