It seems Penny Kerfien has enough worries right now to fill an entire book. The director of the Ogdensburg Public Library knows her city is struggling and people need the services her library provides.

What You Need To Know

  • The city of Ogdensburg has slashed funding to its public library by 40% this year

  • The cuts have left the library unable to offer a full array of services in a time the community needs them most

  • The library's board must decide how to move forward if it wants to survive

 

However, it's because her city is struggling that her own budget was slashed nearly 40% and offering books or research materials, or even computers and free WiFi for those who may be applying for jobs, just became that much harder.

"It's very important. How I'm going to make it work, I'm still in that process. I don't know," Ogdensburg Library Director Penny Kerfied said.

The library is now down from seven full-time employees to two. Hours have been slashed and oh yeah, she'd doing this in a pandemic. She also has to ensure a safe environment, while knowing demand will only grow.

"With the poverty level the way it is and new people coming in, one of the first places they look for is libraries," Kerfien said.

The library is now considering its options for a while now. One is to become a school district public library and voters can annually vote on its entire budget, but that could take a full year to implement. Another is a referendum on the upcoming school budget vote.

That would mean voters could approve a one-time $125,000 payment to keep the library going for the short term.

"I'm a positive person so yes, I'll say there's hope. I'm not sure if the rest of the world will agree with me but I'm hopeful," Kerfien said.

Kerfien knows decisions have to be made now, and ones her board thinks voters can afford and will approve. The city has basically told the library that next year it won't fund it at all, likely to be zeroed out of the budget completely.