Commentary: Cutting Library Hours to Save Money Will Cost Us More

The Batavia Public Library Board is set to vote Thursday on a proposal to reduce branch hours by 15 percent starting in August, a move officials say would close a $340,000 budget gap created by flat property tax revenues and rising operational costs. I have attended every board meeting since March, and I am here to tell you this is the wrong cut at the wrong time.

Library director Sarah Wendt has done her best with a difficult situation, and I do not envy her position. But the plan to eliminate Tuesday evening hours and cut Saturday service to half-days would fall hardest on working families and seniors without home internet access. According to the library's own usage data, Tuesday evenings draw the highest foot traffic of any weekday slot, with 280 visitors on average. Saturday mornings are when the ESL tutoring program meets. These are not idle hours.