If you've been in the library in the past few months, you may have noticed that the selection on our "New Books" shelf has been pretty thin. Those who have inquired about ordering a new title may have been met with a response like, "We'll see if we can get that in for you," rather than the usual willingness to order.
Don't worry; we're not on a path to phase out books, nor are we trying to cut back on the book collection to make room for something else.
The real reason, however, should be a cause for some concern.
When the new building for the Mancos Public Library was completed in 2009, the economy in Montezuma County was percolating along and signs of a downturn were just beginning to show.
The library had borrowed money to complete the building project, and in conjunction a projection of revenue was completed with a conservative estimate of 2 percent growth in revenue for the first 10 years of the loan (the previous 5 years growth had averaged 10 percent per year).
Then the real estate market started to head downhill. Four years later, the rest of the nation appears to have started to turn the corner.
In our little corner of Colorado, however, the market is slower to recover; our initial estimates from the county assessor put our revenue at about 17 percent less than last year (which was already 10 percent lower than the previous assessment.) This means that we're set to receive approximately $255,000 in revenue from county taxes for the next two years.
Now contrast that with the $316,225 projected for 2014 and $322,549 projected for 2015 and you see that we're expecting a two-year shortfall of almost $129,000.
Since I started with the library almost two years ago, the financial situation has been of paramount concern.
During that time, the board of trustees and I have developed a three-year budget, cutting expenses where possible and adding extensive fundraising while hoping to avoid having to ask for an increase in library district taxes from the community. After accounting for "fixed" operating expenses (including payments to lenders), an increase in fundraising efforts, monthly furlough days for 2014 and 2015, and expending our contingency reserve fund, we're left with very little for materials and services expenditures.
So, to bring the conversation full circle, we'd love to order all those titles that you'd like to read. Unfortunately, the budget just won't support it these days. During times like these, we rely on the community for help - if you've just purchased a new book that you think others may enjoy, we happily accept donations.
We also have a "First Read" program where you can purchase a book through the library (we can get up to a 45 percent discount on most titles) - when the book comes in, you're placed first on the list to read it and then it returns to the library collection for the rest of the community to enjoy. Of course, monetary donations to support the collection are always welcome!
Lee Hallberg is director of the Mancos Public Library.