Wichita library system warns of fewer hours, says it needs more funding

The Wichita Public Library is warning it may have to reduce hours if it doesn’t see a funding increase in the next city budget.

The library board said it hasn’t seen a staffing increase in decades, even though it has offered new programs and seen an increase in cardholders.

“As society has changed… we’ve increased the size of the branches, we’ve added a lot of additional programming and things that really make the libraries valuable,” library board member Lauren Hirsch said. “So more people are coming, more people are utilizing the service. There’s more to do, yet we don’t have more people to cover all of those things.”

The library board said it needs an additional $1.4 million to continue operating at the hours it has now.

Last year, the library operated on a $12.6 million budget.

Hirsch said the library system has found efficiencies over the years but needs an increase in funding now to avoid reducing hours.

“It’s just been kind of narrowing into this situation where now… there’s nowhere left to turn,” Hirsch said. “We just need more people.”

An early budget presentation from the city manager last month showed the library would not get an increase in funding.

But City Council members pushed back.

“I think the impact on that zero number is going to be detrimental,” council member Joseph Shepard said.

“I just think of the remarkable work being done [at] Rockwell and Maya Angelou and just the opportunities there to even move beyond the traditional checking out a book.”

An agenda report and budget brief for Tuesday’s budget presentation said additional funding is included for library services but does not say how much more the library will receive.

“Additional funding is directed toward the Wichita Public Library to implement a modified approach to staffing that leverages paraprofessional positions so that librarians can continue to support community literacy,” a city budget brief posted Friday said.

Many of the libraries across the city have undergone extensive remodels and expansions, including Alford, Maya Angelou and Westlink. Some council members worry residents won’t have the chance to enjoy them without the budget increase.

“I don’t see how you can increase the square footage of all those libraries and remodel them and not have an increase,” council member J.V. Johnston said.