Holly Library Seeks Funding for Expansion

Crossland and Roup at Commissioner Meeting

Cheryl Roup, Holly Library Board President and David Crossland, Board member, requested funding from the Prowers County Commissions to help expand service hours at their library. Roup explained, “Our little library is not quite designated as a public library because state statute says we have to be open at least 20 hours a week to achieve ‘Public Library’ status. We’d appreciate any kind of support you could give us on our budget to have the staff to let us stay open.” Roup added that their current goals are for offering literacy opportunities for the Holly community. “We’ve been working with the school providing books for the accelerated reading program, some kid’s programs and the ESL program meets at the library as we’re trying to expand our Spanish language collections as well. Literacy begins with your first language and we’re trying to add to that.”

Roup and Crossland said the library has tried to stay open 20 hours through the summer with paid and volunteer staff and patronage is increasing,” she said we had about 25 people a month last year and now we’re up to about 150 a month, but in order to get any grants and to work with the Colorado Library system, we need to be open 20 hours a week through the year.” The board members told the commissioners they would need $4,200 more a year to afford the staff to meet the state statute criteria. “We aren’t able to get any grants right now because we can’t meet the 20 hour level,” Crossland added.

The library is currently funded for $5,900 a year. The $2,500 received from the county went to pay for children’s chairs and student activities through the summer. County Attorney, John Lefferdink asked if the library fell into any library district designation in the county, but was told that they weren’t which closed the option of outside revenue through taxes.

The commissioners asked to see the library’s budget, as well as a rundown on the number of personnel, paid and volunteer, and a list of board members. Ron Cook said they’ll consider the request in light of the new 2016 budget that’s being prepared for Prowers County.

By Russ Baldwin