AGENDA #13a(1)
to: Town Council
from: Kevin C. Foy, Mayor
subject: Alternative Sources of Funding for the Chapel Hill Library
date: June 9, 2008
As you know, the Chapel Hill library, whose operations have long been funded in part by a contribution from the Board of Commissioners, is growing.
We know that the demand for libraries throughout Orange County is growing – in fact Orange County is building a new library in Hillsborough and considering building a new library in the southern part of the county.
The continuing growth in demand at the Chapel Hill library has prompted the Town Council to begin construction this year on a $16 million expansion, which will significantly increase the physical size of the library and its ability to serve Orange County citizens.
The Chapel Hill library is one of the most heavily used in the state and it consistently gets high marks for quality of service.
But one thing that the Council discussed during our May 7th Public Hearing is this fact: the Chapel Hill library currently serves a significant number of patrons who live in Orange County but not in Chapel Hill. In fact, our data indicates that almost 40% of the library’s patrons are Orange County residents who live outside Chapel Hill. These patrons borrowed almost 350,000 items last year.
Funding library operations is a key issue for the town, particularly as the library’s operating costs and predicted usage increase after the expansion is complete, and there are some options available.
Given this information, I believe the town should consider investigating alternate sources of funding for the Chapel Hill Library, including annual library card fees for residents outside of Chapel Hill.