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NOVEMBER 22, 2010
JCPL to close on Mondays in 2011
Due to significant budget challenges facing the Library, JCPL will be closed on Mondays beginning Jan. 3, 2011, including the Library's Call Center. We know this decision will inconvenience our patrons and local communities, but we stongly believe JCPL must balance our budget and live within our means.

The Library is facing a perfect storm of budget challenges, which will require us to reduce the operating budget by $3 million over the next two years. The Monday closure will allow us to begin to bring our expenses in line with projected revenues and ensure the future success and sustainability of JCPL.

The Online Library will continue to be available 24/7 and we'll be keeping the book drops open so you can return your materials on Mondays.

Hours for full service libraries, including Arvada, Belmar, Columbine, Evergreen, Golden, Lakewood and Standley Lake, will remain the same the remainder of the week. However, the community libraries (Conifer, Edgewater and Wheat Ridge), will have a change in hours.

More...

Library budget info

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(2 comments)
posted by Bethany

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Comments

got2breal01 said, on Nov. 27 at 2:10PM
Why is it always services that are cut? Monday is really the only day I have access to the library, so now I won't have access at all.......wish there were another way.........library access is so vital to the community in so many ways...

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Marcellus Turner, Executive Director JCPL said, on Nov. 30 at 3:34PM
Thanks for sharing your comments with us. We share your frustration at having to close libraries on Mondays, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, libraries around the country are facing serious budget challenges as a result of the recent recession - and JCPL is not exempt. Since 2009, our revenue has been reduced by ~$1.6 million and we're facing the prospect of another $1.6 million reduction in 2012. We need to reduce our operating budget by at least $3 million over the next two years to bring expenses in line with revenues - and there's no way to do that without cutting services. We tried to make our reductions as painless as possible. We chose closing on Mondays because it gives us the savings we need to meet our budget targets, but also because many County holidays fall on Monday and people are used to Monday closures. In addition, we plan to keep the Online Library up and running, so that patrons can access our research databases and other library services 24/7. The sad thing is that we're facing additional cuts in 2012. If we can't find a way to increase revenues, we'll likely have to close for an additional day in 2012! We're asking all library patrons to learn more about our budget challenges and help us find a solution. You can learn more at our State of the Library website at http://jeffcolibrary.org/stateoflibrary/ You can also help by asking your friends and family to donate to the Library Foundation's annual giving campaign. You can learn more about the campaign here: http://jeffcolibraryfoundation.org/index.html We, too, believe that library access is vital to the health of any commuity. Our goal is to solve our budget challenges and reopen on Mondays as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we appreciate your interest in - and support of - JCPL.

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