鈥淟ibrary work is important. It鈥檚 also exhausting, falling upon library workers whose training and education may ill prepare them for such emotional labor,鈥� state library leaders said in the release.
Buzzy Nielsen, the program manager for the State Library of Oregon, said cities and counties are cutting the budgets of other departments as well, but that they鈥檙e reducing libraries鈥� budgets a disproportionate amount.
鈥淭he road department being having more money to build roads is clearer,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat I think can often make it easier to cut a library than another department in the city.鈥�
One example is Salem. City officials there plan to significantly decrease the number of hours the downtown library is open, while the West Salem location will only be open two days a week, .
Libraries in Beaverton and Eugene are also anticipating significant cuts to their budgets, according to the state library news release. Linn-Benton Community College鈥檚 library recently eliminated all faculty positions.
Bridget Esqueda, Salem鈥檚 acting city librarian, said city leaders proposed cutting the library鈥檚 funding by nearly $1.2 million, about a sixth of its overall budget. Those trims are part of a citywide cut to services due to a budget deficit.
Esqueda said the library has multiple vacancies that will likely go unfilled, placing more pressure on the remaining workers.
鈥淭o run a big organization like the Salem Public Library, it does put a strain on the most valuable resource which is its employees,鈥� she said.
Compounding the problem facing libraries are national attempts to remove books about LGBTQ people and people of color, Nielsen said. In Oregon, .
Some of these removals are orchestrated by local conservative groups, . Workers at the library reported an increase in verbal attacks from the public.
published last month found that nearly 75% of staff that work with the public report feeling unsafe at work. Many staff, the audit found, frequently have to interact with those experiencing mental health crises.
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