A recommendation to the Board of Trustees of the Harford County Public Library system to close the Fallston branch sparked outrage in the community, culminating with a meeting on June 18 at the Bel Air branch. A final public hearing will take place in an undetermined area of Fallston at 6:30 p.m. Thursday the 25th, before the Board of Trustees has its final vote to determine the library’s fate. If the decision is made to shut down the branch, it will close its doors for the last time on June 30.
Following an additional budget cut of 5% or $800,000 from the original budget cuts issued by the County Council, the Executive Committee and Senior Staff of the HCPL trustees found that the most effective way to balance the budget was to close the library. Board of Trustees member and incoming chairman Lucie Snodgrass said, “We pushed very hard to come to a solution that worked without having any branches close, but this achieves the greatest cost effectiveness.”
The Board considered cutting staff members and hours, closing on Sundays, and opening later in an attempt to save money. However, these options are “still on the table,” according to Snodgrass, and “there is no good solution because of deep [budget] cuts.”
An email sent by HCPL Director Audra Caplan explained that Fallston was chosen as the branch to close because of its close proximity to other branches, such as Bel Air and Jarrettsville, the age of the building, the lack of people coming in, poor location for both vehicles and pedestrians, and low percentage of computer users. However, recent roof renovations and new lighting installed this month have caused some to question the building’s age as a legitimate reason for it to close.
In addition, even if the decision is made to close the branch, the system as a whole has seen a steady increase in usage in recent times, with yearly circulation up 8.56% from 2008, and library program attendance up 72.94%, in light of the economic downturn. The circulation at Fallston is higher than the libraries in Edgewood, Darlington, Havre de Grace, Jarrettsville, Joppa, Norrisville, Whiteford, and Highland.
According to HCPL Board of Trustees member and JC French teacher Jen Vido, all veteran members of the library staff will remain employed and will be transferred to other open positions. Only pages, or those hired to stock the shelves, will be left unemployed. The library building will be transferred to the care of the county, most likely the Facilities department, said Snodgrass.
The possible closing of the library led Maryland House of Delegates member Rick Impallaria to say, “We need to make wise cuts, not quick and drastic decisions. We need to make well-thought out decisions. Raising taxes is not an option [to remedy this].”
The strong opposition was evident through an overflow of protesters that attended the June 18 hearing, filling both the entrance, third floor, and meeting room. The community outrage stems from the use of the library as a meeting place and community center, especially for local organizations like Boy and Girl Scouts.
Many families, like Fallston area residents the Diez family, use the library twice a week to help with their homeschooling program. Twleve year old Katelyn Diez said, “The people there are like a big family. It is convenient, especially for a homeschooled family. It’s harder to get up to Jarrettsville or Bel Air.” She suggests that the branches cut back on hours as opposed to closing Fallston all together.
Diane Tobin, a protester at the hearing, adds, “There is no way for kids to get to Bel Air library because there is no public transportation. They rely on parents. This is a huge blow for libraries.”
Summer reading program volunteer Shana Misch, who, along with the other Fallston youth volunteers, will be out of their positions, said, “We got a raw deal. The library gave us a sense of community and the chance to interact with other people.”
The potential closing of the library has called to question the use of tax dollars in an area that generates the fourth highest tax revenues in the county. Community protester Noelle Dichiera said, “We pay high taxes. Rec fields come before library buildings.”
About the outpouring of emotion, especially in regard to taxes, Snodgrass said, “People care passionately about learning and reading. They want value for their tax dollar.”
The opposition’s point is clearly registered through Jennylyn Hart, an author and avid Fallston Library user: “Let’s not have a book burning in Fallston.”
However, Snodgrass stressed, “Everyone has to know that options are open and we are truly weighing them to find the best way to move forward. Nothing will be easy.”
Additional Reporting by Kaitlin Bobbin
Kate Froehlich can be reached at [email protected].