By Vernon Daley, Staff Reporter
A $21 MILLION cut in its budget has forced the Jamaica Library Service (JLS) to scale down its book mobile service as well as reduce the amount spent on the purchase of books this year.
Information coming out of the JLS yesterday is that the budget has been slashed from $253 million in the last financial year to $232 million this year. The budget includes funds allocated to the public library service as well as school libraries.
Director of the JLS, Mrs. Gloria Salmon, downplayed the reduction in funds, saying that it would not affect library services offered to the population in a major way. She noted, however, that a decision was taken to slash, in half, the number of visits made by the book mobile service in an attempt to keep within the reduced budget.
Book mobiles normally go into specified rural areas twice per month, allowing persons who do not have easy access to a parish library, the opportunity to borrow books. However, these visits will now be reduced to once per month, forcing persons to wait longer periods to access the library facilities.
"This will help us to cut down on subsistence allowances (to staff)," Mrs. Salmon said. She also pointed to the savings in transportation costs. She acknowledged the inconvenience that would be caused to readers by the move, but insisted that measures had to be taken to deal with the budget shortfall.
The JLS is responsible, for the over 140 public libraries across the island. It also provides financial support for school libraries as well as training for their staff.
The budget cut also means that only $5 million would be made available to buy books for school libraries, half the allocation for last year.
Mrs. Salmon told The Gleaner that the JLS will be making special appeals this year to get donations and sponsorships from individuals as well as businesses to replenish its dwindling supply of books. "Our book stock has been in a deplorable condition for a number of years."
Mrs. Salmon said that staffing levels at the libraries throughout the island will not be affected.
