It’s not a secret that 2020 has been a difficult year. For some of us, such as the Kiowa County Public Library District, it started out as an okay year. We were (and had been for a few years) working hard to bring a difficult question to the Kiowa County Community. We were planning, communicating, analyzing, and preparing to ask the community for support on a mill levy increase measure for the Library - something that hasn’t increased since we became a special district (which operates separately from the county) thirty-three years ago in 1987. 

Back in 1987 - minimum wage was $3.00, and everyone knew how to use a card catalog. Now public computers and internet access have become a vital service for libraries to offer. Now we had an Integrated Library System; online catalog; eBooks; eAudio; online databases; programming; and everything in between! 

The basic service all libraries have always offered, books, has increased from $5 to $17 (paperback) and $15 to $28 (hardback). 

The mill levy increase was needed in order for us to maintain even our current level of library services. We were hopeful that with your support, we would be able to continue operating as is and have a little room to grow to further support the community. 

But then the drought kept worsening, and we could see the worry growing on our local farmers’ and ranchers’ faces. We could, and still can, see the concern in their eyes. As if the drought wasn’t bad enough, everything drastically changed for all of us in the blink of an eye. That “thing” that has affected everyone and everything in life, the heavy gloom of uncertainty that continues to linger above us all: COVID-19. The novel virus that has impacted so many things in our lives, county, country, and world: grain and beef; oil and gas; loss of business and/or closing businesses; closing schools and public libraries; locking hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities; cancelling event after event; and the constant battle of who/what is or isn’t essential – it has all impacted us in some way. 

The Kiowa County Public Library saw all of these struggles. As these things continued to progress, we made the final decision in early June that 2020 wasn’t the year to ask the community for more of their hard earned money. This decision would dim the Library’s future and force us to make hard changes, but we knew this was the right choice not for us, but for the heart of our organization which is YOU, the Kiowa County community. 

That being said, we have been analyzing and determining what our services will look like in 2021. We will be cutting costs and will be operating on an even slimmer budget than we have been. These cuts will impact every single service that we offer, including outreach storytime & programs ($0), school collaborations ($0), summer reading ($0), online databases ($0), computer & office equipment/maintenance ($0), movies & magazines ($0), and staff development ($0). 

We will see cuts in our collection development and will rely heavily on inter-library loan services in 2021. We have also been making changes to our staffing and will go from a 1.94 to a 1.4 full time equivalent staff. These cuts will also impact our operating hours. Starting January 1, 2021, the Library will be transitioning to a four-day week and will only be open Tuesday – Friday from 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM.

We know the decision to not ask for more tax money this year was the right choice for our community, but there is no denying that it will make a significant impact on us and the services we provide. So if you or someone you know is ever wondering what organization could use some help, please keep the Kiowa County Public Library District in mind.