Las Vegas/Clark County Library District Cuts Hours, Staff
Library, union signed contract in time of growth
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 05/25/2010
- Five years of raises mandated in contract
- Union did not set up meeting on concessions
- 42 employees laid off
The Las Vegas/Clark County Library District (LVCCLD), NV, faced with a $5.5 million shortfall over the next fiscal year, is cutting hours, materials, and staff. LVCCLD’s current general fund budget is $53.6 million, while next year’s budget will be $52.5 million. However, it would cost $57.5 million to operate at current levels.
To cope with the new revenues, the library will eliminate 93 staff positions, including 19 full-time and 23 part-time employees. Other positions lost include 39 that were previously frozen and 12 vacated by staff who took a retirement incentive.
LVCCLD was the Gale/Library Journal Library of the Year in 2003.
Contract issues
Executive Director Jeanne Goodrich said, “With 64 percent of the budget going to salaries and benefits, we needed either concessions from the bargaining unit representing full-time staff, or a reduction in force in order to balance the budget. The district would have preferred to reach our number while retaining all of our excellent staff. Unfortunately, the district was not able to reach an agreement with the union in a timely manner.”
Pat Marvel, director of marketing and community relations, said that in the contract that took effect in 2006—a time when the economy is booming—employees got four percent increases the first year, 3.5 percent the next year, and three percent in each of the next three years.
She said that 24 upper management staffers in the last fiscal year gave up cost-of-living increases.
Hours and materials
Urban libraries in the system will see their hours trimmed Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m.–9 p.m. to 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
LVCCLD’s materials budget, previously a robust 20 percent of the General Fund Revenue, will go to 15 percent, or $7.7 million.
The library, said Marvel, has looked for places to trim. For example, it used to produce a four-color newsletter that was mailed to patrons. It’s now two-color and no longer sent by mail.
