Tuesday April 12, 2011, Great River Regional Library (GRRL) will be implementing an unpaid staff furlough day across all 32 GRRL libraries. This is the first of two required furlough days for 2011. The second furlough day will take place on Monday, Oct. 10, 2011.
“The current economic reality is requiring us to look more closely at how to best manage our public tax dollars,” said Linda Treb, Regional Coordinator of Finance. “The library system’s operating budget has been reduced for two consecutive years, and for 2011 is almost $300,000 less than 2009. This is the second year for the furlough program and it is the fairest and least intrusive way to meet these fiscal challenges,” Treb said.
GRRL’s business levels have increased each year since 2005, with numbers of borrowers and check-outs at all-time highs. “Furlough days are one way for GRRL to preserve operations and continue vital services for our patrons, while confronting some of the most difficult economic conditions we have ever experienced,” said Sunny Hesse, Regional Coordinator of Human Resources.
GRRL will take advantage of the April 12 closure and upgrade the library system’s centralized computer system. It is an ideal time for the upgrade to take place without an interruption of service.
GRRL is one library system with 32 branch locations across Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright Counties in Central Minnesota. The system provides nearly one million books, CDs and DVDS and more than 250 public computers to almost 450,000 residents.
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