As Central Falls, RI, Heads Toward Bankruptcy, Library Closes

The Central Falls Free Public Library (CFFPL), RI, closed its doors July 1, a victim of the city's large debt burdens. The city of 18,716 people has been in receivership since May 2010 in an effort to avoid bankruptcy. While CFFPL's last annual budget was just over $224,515, Central Falls faces a FY11-12 deficit of $4.9 million out of a $16 million budget.

The larger issue is the municipality's inability to pay out pensions, as the Central Falls pension fund is facing depletion by October, according to the New York Times. As this scenario could affect the entire state's fiscal standing, especially bond ratings, serious attention is being paid to Central Falls's status. (The state legislature passed a law July 1 requiring all municipalities to pay off bondholders first and to raise property taxes to make all such payments on time.)

Representatives from the governor's office, the library board, the state-appointed receiver, and the State of Rhode Island's Office of Library & Information Services (OLIS) are working on a plan for the library's future. (Central Falls's receivership status means that an appointed judge makes the city's financial decisions.) OLIS's Chief Library Officer Howard Boksenbaum told LJ that he couldn't predict when the library would reopen but the Providence Journal reported June 29 that CFFPL could open in the fall.

The 5000 square foot library was formerly staffed with four FTE. It is located in "the least prosperous community in Rhode Island," said Boksenbaum. A library trust, established in 1905, owns the building, but operating costs come solely from the city. According to the Providence Journal, the library trust has some funds in reserve to maintain the building, but it is soliciting donations: Adams Library, 205 Central St., Central Falls, RI 02863.

The people of Rhode Island are a "tight-knit community used to a high level of service," said Boksenbaum. All public libraries are members of a single consortium sharing a common ILS. But the citizens of Central Falls now can use their library card only in neighboring Pawtucket until August 1 with no interlibrary loan requests honored.