Library Board cuts Sherwood Hours

Recently the Defiance Public Library Board met to make cuts due to reduction in state funding. Marilyn Hite, Director of the Defiance Public Library, announced that Sherwood Library's hours will be cut from 40 to 10 hours per week for a 75% cut. Hicksville Library's hours will be cut from 44 to 25 for about a 50% cut while Defiance Library's hours will be only be cut 12.5 hours-- from 64.5 hours to 52 hours for a 21% reduction.

Obviously a cut to 10 hours of operation per week in Sherwood will decimate its staff and personnel. This drastic cut seems to be at odds with board member David Plant's statement in The Crescent-News of September 24 that we [the board] will work to "...maintain the strengths of each branch."

We, the Friends of the Sherwood Library, expected a 30% cut across the board based upon the current cut in state funding of about 30%. We also noted both Paulding and Williams Counties had made cuts across the board at their sites.

By not making cuts equitable at three libraries, the director and board have implied to many of the residents of the west end of Defiance County that it is the programming and services of Defiance which are of utmost importance. Should the board be surprised when the country-wide library levy in two years is not renewed when it was the county residents who carried the vote to passage? What will they do with an additional loss of $500,000?

Also in the September 24 article in The Crescent-News, it was noted that among other considerations the board took into account were "public statements made by concerned residents at Tuesday's board meeting." This is hardly true, as I was one of the two people present (along with a representative of the Friends of the Hicksville Library), and we not allowed to speak to the board during the meeting. In fact, little input has been allowed by neither the public nor even the library staff.

Mary M. Williams
President of the Friends of the Sherwood Library