Jersey City Free Public Library Facing Additional Layoffs; Significant Budget Cuts

Jersey City Free Public Library has some big challenges up ahead. The library is facing a severe budget shortfall and in addition to layoffs already made, is facing more in the near future.

The library had already given the axe to 36 members of it’s part time staff, as well as security guards. In addition, they closed two branches in their last budget cycle.

The director of the Jersey City Library, Priscilla Gardner, says that city officials gave her news last week that she will have a $1.6 million cut to her budget for the upcoming year. Where last year, she had $7.7 million to run the library’s 10 branches, this year, she’ll have to crunch the numbers in order to run the system with $6 million.

Gardner had requested $8 million dollars for the upcoming year, but with the economy still in a recession, she’ll have to make due with $2 million less.