Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Will Keep Branches Open but Cut Hours, Pay
Instead of 148 positions cut, 82-84 will be lost
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 03/24/2010
- All branches open eight hours a day for five days
- Fewer job losses
- Remaining staffers face 5-20% pay cut
A week after announcing that they had no choice but close branches in the wake of a $2 million budget cut for the last three months of the fiscal year, the board of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) instead today chose to cut hours, pay, and jobs, but not close any buildings.
The library claimed that an "outcry of public support"--including donations of nearly $200,000--"prompted the board to look at alternate scenarios," an explanation that hints that the initial closure notice may have been brinksmanship.
All libraries will remain open five days per week for eight hours each day starting April 5, the library said. Services and materials will be cut as well.
Instead of laying off 148 staffers, the library said 82 to 84 jobs would be cut. Everyone left faces a five to 20 percent reduction in pay, dependent upon salary level.
