As state legislators work to fix a projected $2.8 billion budget hole before the 2010 legislative session ends in March, the Washington State Library once again is in the crosshairs.
Gov. Christine Gregoire's budget proposal would ax $2 million from the State Library, resulting in 31 full-time or part-time workers losing their jobs.
In response to Washington's sluggish economy and high unemployment rate, the State Library last year created the Hard Times Resource Guide. It is a publicly accessible, statewide resource targeted to the state's vulnerable populations. The Web site (www.sos.wa.gov/library/hardtimes) features resources in one easy-to-use location.
The State Library has experienced a surge in usage from 2002 to 2009:
• Number of visitors up 22 percent (370,328 to 451,865)
• Number of books checked out up 78.6 percent (648,487 to 1,157,992)
• Web site usage up 1,569.6 percent (33,827 hits to 564,787)
In addition, patrons last year used the State Library's online history books 427,026 times and online newspapers on 124,791 occasions.[[In-content Ad]]
