Chapel Hill Public Library will reduce hours once new library opens

The long-awaited opening of the expanded Chapel Hill Public Library is being overshadowed by budget problems, library officials said Monday.

The Chapel Hill Library Board of Trustees announced plans Monday night to reduce hours of operation once the new library opens.

The $16.23 million expansion project — which will add 35,500 square feet to the library’s original space of 27,000 square feet — began in fall 2011.

The library is on schedule to open in April, though it will likely not operate at full capacity because of budget constraints.

Weekly hours will likely decrease from 68 to 54, with weekend hours seeing much of the reduction.

Interim Library Director Mark Bayles said the problem is operating a larger building on a tighter budget.

He said it will be difficult to create a sustainable schedule for the new library with less money available.

“Our initial challenge will be to create a budget within that basic figure,” he said.

But board members are concerned about the effect the cut to hours will have on customers.

The Chapel Hill Public Library serves 375,000 people annually and is the busiest public library per capita in North Carolina.

John Morris, a library trustee, said it is important for board members to advocate for the new library to the Chapel Hill Town Council.

“We’ve been working on this for many years,” he said. “We need to really get engaged.”

Bayles also said the staff is worried about being overwhelmed and has low morale.

“(It’s) probably as low as I’ve ever seen it in 29 years.”

Despite the budget issues, Bayles said the building is still on track to be turned over to the town on Feb. 18.

He said the library’s temporary location at University Mall will close around mid-March.

The library will be closed almost three weeks while materials are moved to the newly expanded library building.

Bayles said staff are hoping to dedicate the new library on April 6.

Trustee Martha Schutz said the dedication ceremony will be scaled down because of the tight budget.

She said it would resemble December’s modest ground breaking ceremony.

But Schutz said plans to install a time capsule in the library within a year of opening the new building will continue.

She said they have talked about including photos, letters, digital media and possibly even Duke-UNC tickets in the time capsule — which won’t be opened for 25 years.

The board will hold a meeting Saturday to discuss ways to protest the library’s current lack of funding, including a letter and petition.

The board will address the Chapel Hill Town Council about funding issues on Feb. 27.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.