Budget cuts force hour cuts at Carrabelle library

                State budgets cuts are forcing the Franklin County public library to cut a few hours of operation at the Carrabelle branch of the library.

Franklin County’s portion of the State Aid to Libraries Grant was cut by 20 thousand dollars this year.

To make ends meet the library had to cut one staff person’s hours to part-time.

County public library director Anne Birchwell said that will mean closing the Carrabelle branch of the library early every Monday.

The new Monday hours will be from 9 till 2 instead of 9 till 6.

Miss Birchwell called it a difficult decision because she has been working to keep all the library branches open more to make them more accessible to patrons.

She pointed out that the problem is being faced by libraries statewide – Gulf County libraries are open only 4 days a week because of budget cuts at the state and county level.

Miss Birchwell said she will continue to seek funding from other places including grants.

Commissioner Smokey Parrish said with a state budget surplus this year he doesn’t understand why the state cut funding to libraries this year – but that’s decisions made at a different level than here. 

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