The Ferguson Library Board of Trustees announced this week that beginning in the fall it would cut hours at the main library and limit branches to being open one day per week.
The reductions in services, needed to make up for a $1.2 million shortfall in the library's budget, were first reported by the Stamford Advocate.
At least one leader in Stamford's literary community says this is the wrong time to reduce services at libraries. "I think it's horrible," says mystery writer Rosemary Harris, a Stamford resident. "This is the time when the residents need the libraries more than ever, whether it's because they can't afford to buy books or they need to use them for job hunting."
Harris appeared at an adult reading program at the Harry Bennett branch last night. "Any events that authors can do to help with fundraising [for the libraries] I'd be for," she says. "It shows support for the library."
The trustees' action means the main branch will be open two days a week from noon to 8 p.m., two days from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The branchesWeed Memorial, Harry Bennett and South Endwill each be open one day per week.
The Advocate also reported that library board vice president Kathy Emmett suggested that a state law could allow the city's Board of Representatives to approve a special tax to help the library close the gap in its budget. Last year, the law was used in Bridgeport to force a referendum on such a tax. Voters approved it.
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