Two Wichita branch libraries won’t close — at least for now — mayor says

Two Wichita branch libraries slated for possible closure by the city got at least a one-year reprieve Thursday when Mayor Jeff Longwell announced that the council won’t take that budget recommendation.

Longwell announced that the city will continue to fund the operation of the Linwood and Evergreen branch libraries, both of which had been targeted in the proposed budget submitted to the council and the community on July 17.

On Thursday, Longwell gave his assurance that the city will keep those libraries running for at least the next budget year while studying ways to effectively provide service throughout the city.

“The recommendation of the branch library study will be used as we bring greater focus to the branch operations in the future,” Longwell said.

The proposed branch closures came on the heels of the grand opening of the new $38 million Advanced Learning Library at Second and McLean.

It drew an immediate and angry response from library patrons and supporters, including former Mayor Carl Brewer, who said branch closure was “never the vision” when the council embarked on replacing its aging Central Library and “shouldn’t even be a consideration today.”

Longwell said the libraries will be funded by shifting other money in the budget. The council may shift $1 million from a proposed increase in street maintenance to offset proposed cuts to the libraries and other quality-of-life venues including the CityArts gallery and educational space.

The Linwood branch library, in a recreation center near Hydraulic and Mount Vernon in south Wichita, was slated to close in 2019 in the original proposal.

A study by Wichita State University last year found that the typical Linwood patrons are blue-collar labor and service workers making $30,000 a year or less, with a high school education.

The Evergreen branch, at 2601 N. Arkansas in north Wichita, would have faced potential closure in 2020 under the original spending plan.

The Evergreen branch serves a significant number of Latino residents, the study said, who have less access to technology and a need for English literacy programs. The branch also serves a high number of retirees, the study said.

This story was originally published July 26, 2018 at 12:22 PM.