Cuyahoga County Public Library card holders will see a change to the materials loan period in the near future.
The new loan period approved by the library’s board of trustees will be 14 days, reduced from 21 days, for books, movies, music and magazines, effective Sept. 2.
‘We are making the change to the loan period to ensure that customers don’t have to wait too long to receive the material that’s in highest demand,’ said Hallie Rich, marketing and communications director for the library system via email. ‘Due to reductions to the library’s operating budget, we cannot buy material in the same quantities that we have in the past. The 14-day loan period keeps material moving through our system so that no one is waiting too long for the latest books, e-books, movies or music.’
E-books, e-audio and e-magazines also will have a 14-day loan period, while MediaBox DVDs, streaming video and streaming audio will be seven days.
Customers will still be able to renew materials and the library offers text and email notifications to remind them when material is due back or needs to be renewed.
These changes should not affect customers, rather maintain current wait times, Rich said.
The library system has been battling state cuts and reduced revenue for several years.
Since 2009, Cuyahoga County Public Library has lost more than $20 million in funding, she said.
‘Reductions in funding from Ohio’s Public Library Fund as well as local property tax collections have decreased the library’s annual operating budget,’ Rich said. ‘As a result, the library has initiated several cost-saving efforts over the past five years to ensure that we can continue to deliver high-quality public library service seven days a week year-round.’
A levy was passed in 2008, and another would have been on the ballot in 2013, but Rich said they have ‘found ways to cut costs and bring in new revenue streams to maintain the level of service that our customers expect.’
One of the ways the library system has been cutting costs is making the branches more energy efficient.
‘With a dedicated capital budget, separate from the annual operating budget, the library is renovating or replacing 18 of the 27 branches in the CCPL system,’ she said. ‘These capital projects make our buildings more efficient to run and work in, saving us critical operating funds each year.’
For more information and to find a local branch, visit cuyahogalibrary.org.
