“Yeah the library is nice and a lot of people use it, but what does it cost to run it?” A good question, and it turns out your Greene County Library serves many, many of your fellow residents and does so at a very reasonable rate. How do we know this?

First, lets take at the annual number of library VISITS:

In 2007 there were 105,909 visits. In 2008 there were 107,427 visits and in 2009 there were 119,121 visits.

Those are some big numbers and surprise most folks.  And they are not just estimated; actual mechanical counters are used. Then we can weigh that against the operating budget amounts during those same time periods:

In 2007 the budget was $166,392. In 2008 the budget was $177,350. In 2009 the budget was $179,885.

The calculation shows that the cost per visit averaged $1.57  over those three  years, and has decreased in 2009.  So the staff was able to reduce its operating expense, while increasing its services to its patrons,  and stay open seven days a week.    The library is a real bargain for the community.

Where do the 2009 funds come from? Cities provide $53,000 including Greensboro, Siloam, White Plains, Union Point, and Woodville. The Greensboro Board of Education provides $25,000 and the Greensboro County Commission provides $76,100. Fees and fines contribute $12,400 making the total funds available $167,000.

So your tax dollars are the largest means of operating the library, as they come through the cities and towns of Greene County, the county government and the board of education.  However, a significant amount comes directly from your fellow citizens, the most generous of those groups being “Friends Of the Library,” which contributes both time and funds each and every  year.

Volunteers also keep operating costs down by helping with various daily tasks at the library. A classic example of this type of volunteering effort goes by the name of Maggie Dunn. She has become known as “Miss Mag, Queen of all Storytime”  Miss Mag has been working with four fabulous assistants for nine years at the Library, becoming the key element in the free program of  story telling to the kids, sponsored by the Friends of the Library.  Miss Mag tells us “that a professional story teller is paid upwards of $150.00 for a 20 minute performance.”  As we can see, doing the “telling” for nine years has saved the Library big, big dollars, but more importantly, her positive impact on the many kids who listened to her stories is priceless.

Yet another way that makes every one of your tax dollars go farther is the fact that our library is one of eight in the Uncle Remus Regional Library System.  Each of the libraries in the system has common routines and essential administrative services that are rendered by one central office for the eight libraries.  These administrative and library services include: human resources, budgeting, bookkeeping, record-keeping, staff training, acquisition of library material; cataloging; delivery of purchased and borrowed materials and communication and technology functions for the system. The regional system handles each of these functions, which is far more efficient and cost effective than having each library “staff-up” for these functions at their facility.

As with any service organization, your Greene County staff is constantly looking for ways to get their jobs done most efficiently without sacrificing the quality of service or the hours the facility is open.  This is especially important in the tough economic times we are all facing. All of the folks involved in the daily operation, and management of your library remain committed to serving you and yours in the best possible way.

So now we know, your county library is cost effective and is ready to serve you, so “Come see us soon.”

— From the Greene County Library Team