Boylston budget cuts put library at risk
Decertification would block aid
For the lack of about $7,000, the Boylston Public Library's future stands in turmoil.
In the wake of cuts across town departments, the library is slated to have a budget of about $142,490 for the fiscal year that began July 1.
Under state regulations, a library's budget has to increase by an average of 2.5 percent over the previous three years in order to be certified. For Boylston, that translates to a $149,757 budget, and puts the town in a predicament faced by several other communities in the region.
The loss of state certification would mean that Boylston library card holders would no longer be able to borrow books from other libraries in the area, and would prevent the library from receiving $5,000 in state aid this year.
According to Nick Langhart, the Boylston library's director, the interloan system made up less than 3 percent of Boylston's total lending of 22,264 items last year. However, he said, the circulation figures don't reflect what he believes is the large number of Boylston residents who patronize libraries in other, larger communities to take advantage of their wider selection of best-sellers, business journals, and publications on research topics.
"It is tragic that this will stop if we are decertified," Langhart wrote in an e-mailed response to an inquiry. "It is tantamount to canceling their library cards."
Most libraries in the region have policies that prevent them from loaning out books to residents from towns with decertified public libraries, a strategy aimed at prodding communities to keep their public libraries well funded, Langhart said.
Boylston's shortfall resulted from the rejection of a $624,739 tax-increase proposal in May, which led to a $15,000 cut in the library's budget as part of townwide reductions.
According to the rules of the state's oversight agency, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, Langhart said, towns cannot fill the gap with private fund-raising.
The Boylston library will seek a waiver this fall from the state to retain its certification.
Langhart added that the situation doesn't bode well for future years, either.
Boylston's library is among many across the state that are feeling the pressure of retaining certification amid an economic downturn.
Hubbardston and Shrewsbury have grappled with shortfalls in their library operating budgets this year, said Celeste Bruno, a spokeswoman for the state board. 