Libraries are under the Economic Knife Again

Most of the municipalities (kommuner) of Denmark are going to make cuts to libraries again, which will influence the employees, books procurement, and opening hours.

Six out of ten Danish kommuner have already put libraries “under the economic knife” for the next year. Solid national research of 2012 library budgets made by the Danish Library Association (Danmarks Biblioteksforenings) proves it.
 
According to this survey, 60 percent of the kommuner are ready to make cuts to libraries, while 30 percent are ready to keep everything as it is. The survey is based on the information received from 92 out of 98 municipalities polled for now.

“What is paradoxical is that a lot of kommuner put public libraries on low priority, whereas previous surveys clearly show that libraries which attract young people, also increase chances for them to get education in future”, the Chairman of the Danish Library Association, Vagn Ytte Larsen, says.

Economic policy of many of the kommuner which are going to have library budgets cut, first of all concerns the staff, books procurement, and opening hours. It is also expected that some more branches will get closed on top of those ones that are already shut.

Libraries have taken cuts for many years now. Though the amount of visitors and their using of the digital services show that libraries are still in high demand.

Those few kommuner which invest in libraries, acquire new IT-materials, new equipment and increase the opening hours.

Next year 7 municipalities will increase the opening hours and reduce the staff and the working hours of the personnel. Twenty six branches and local libraries all over the country will make the working day longer, keeping the full staff only in two places.

“Having 36 million visitors annually and a sharp rise in digital materials use, it should be understood by both kommuner and the government that further cuts to libraries is the same as shooting themselves in the foot”, Vagn Ytte Larsen comments.

 

Original text: kpn.dk