Buffalo & Erie County Library System Faces Layoffs

Earlier today, the Buffalo News published an article entitled "Library system faces layoffs, closures due to budget shortfall."  They will be facing a $7 million shortfall in 2011 due to the county budget and other revenue losses.  The gap is "the loss of 145 full-time employees."  "Among the wide range of possibilities Quinn-Carey presented for discussion were accelerating the shift of purchases to online materials over more costly print, which she acknowledged is controversial; reducing staff hours, including leaving some desks unmanned for periods of time; sharing staff between branches and not anchoring books at branches to save handling and shipping costs."  Hopefully the library system will find ways to keep people employed and libraries open.