(Oct. 10, 2003) -- Effective October 18, the LB Public Library is implementing rolling closures of neighborhood libraries -- and the Sunday closures of the LB Main Library (101 Pacific Ave.) and Bay Shore (195 Bay Shore Ave.) branches.

The closures stem from the Council vote last month that adopted City Hall's FY 04 budget...which included a cut in library funding of 10% or $1.1 million. That cut is part of city management's Three Year Financial Strategic Plan, implemented by the Council to address prior Council votes that spent money exceeding revenue, fattened pensions and piled a multi-million dollar deficit onto taxpayers.

The net result for taxpayers now: rolling closures of LB library branches detailed on a schedule which we post in pdf form. To view it, click LB Library Schedule, effective Oct. 18/03.

In a written release, LB's Public Library says ten of eleven libraries will reduce services to four days a week. North Library will remain open six days a week because it serves a population twice to four times the size of other branches and is more geographically isolated, the release said.

The library says its decisions on which branches to close and when were based on factors including daily activity patterns (number of patrons, number of school visits, program attendance, and number of students using the Family Learning Center). Libraries were also "paired" so two nearby libraries would not be closed on the same day.

Notices of the rolling closures are posted at all libraries and othe LB Public Library's web site (www.lbpl.org), handouts of the new schedule, letters to parents distributed at schools and an email letter to all principals and teachers.

And when libraries are open, their budget for new books and other resources has been reduced by 15% or $215,000.

The Library said it also encourages the public to provide feedback by email to the Manager of Neighborhood Libraries, Nancy Messineo (nmessineo@lbpl.org) or the Dir. of Library Services, Eleanore Schmidt (eschmidt@lbpl.org).