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Earlier in the week I gave a shout out to my hometown library and libraries in general in honor of National Library Week. I was trying to keep it light and fun 'cause that's how I roll. But there are serious funding issues libraries are facing right now and if we want to keep the doors open for our children and our children's children, we need to step up. Mary Bonelli from Charlotte, NC wrote telling me about the library situation in her hometown and I thought it was something you should all be aware of. Her letter is today's post:

About a month ago, the Charlotte City Council announced that they were closing 12 of the 24 branches in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library system. The book loving community in Charlotte were completely taken by surprise and shocked at this announcement. They had previously talked about cutting hours and closing on certain days. They needed $2,000,000 in two weeks to keep the libraries open through the end of the fiscal year; June 30th.

The community rallied to do the best the could to raise this money and to voice their sadness, concerns and disappointment about the closings. The community was able to raise approximately $235,000; not enough to save the libraries. But because to the community's outrage, City Council held an emergency meeting and came up with a plan. They went back to their original thinking and have cut 85 of the original 140 jobs, each branch will be closed 2 days a week and will have shorter hours.

This will keep the libraries safe until the next fiscal year begins on July 1st. If the funding is not available in the new fiscal year, they are saying they will only be able to keep the main branch in Uptown Charlotte open and the children's library, ImaginOn, also in Uptown Charlotte.

How sad and scary that this is happening in a city like Charlotte, NC that has enjoyed being such a boom town for the 20 years that I have lived here. We are a fairly wealthy and philanthropic city, but this is a reality for us. With the way the economy has been over the last several years, I have personally seen a huge jump in library usage. I have always used the library to get a large percentage of my reading material to keep my personal budget under control. In a time when others are looking to save money, it is truly sad that this important resource could be gone.

For more details on this story and how you can help, visit the library's website. To donate, click here.

Thanks for bringing the importance of community libraries to our attention on your website and wish us luck in getting some budget money come July!

Sincerely, Mary Bonelli