Seattle libraries get $863,000 back in budget

The Seattle City Council, sitting as its budget committee, has restored $863,000 to the public-library budget.

That means the library will be able to provide seven-day-a-week service at 11 branches and the Central Library.

Mayor Greg Nickels, in his budget, proposed that libraries take a 5 percent cut, about $2.8 million, and have another weeklong closure. That meant only six libraries would be open seven days a week. The rest would be open five days.

Asked whether he knew the libraries would have to cut hours under his budget, Nickels had said earlier, "unfortunately the economic reality is we have to make reductions. It wasn't going to be painless."

Under the new budget, approved by the council Thursday, the 11 branches that will operate 60 hours a week are Ballard, Douglass-Truth, Lake City, Rainier Beach, Southwest, Beacon Hill, Broadview, Capitol Hill, Greenwood, Northeast and West Seattle. Operating hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

The hours at the Central Library will remain unchanged. The Central Library, at 1000 Fourth Ave., is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

The remaining 15 branches will operate on a five-day-a-week, 35-hours-a-week schedule, as originally proposed. Operating hours will be 1-8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and closed Friday and Sunday.

Today 15 branches, plus the Central Library, are open on Sundays.

"While the restoration of some funds is good news, there will still be a $1.77 million reduction to the library budget in 2010," said spokeswoman Andra Addison. "That means the library will still need to implement a one-week furlough next year."

According to the American Library Association, Seattle with its central library and 26 branches, is one of the top cities of its size in the nation for library visits — more than 6 million a year. Nearly one in 11 Seattle residents uses the library, which is at least double the rate of many other library systems in the country.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com