Carnegie Library Board Approves Plan to Reduce Cost Structure

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Board of Trustees approved a plan to reduce costs due to declines in funding. It consists of the closures of four branches - Beechview, The West End, Hazelwood and Lawrenceville. The depository on the North Side will also close. The Carrick and Knoxville branches will merge and move into a new location. The Mt. Washington Branch will move into a new location on Virginia Avenue.
There will also be a twenty-eight percent reduction in service hours across the system and increase certain fines and fees.
The reduced hours will begin in January, the closures will occur in February.
About thirty employees will be laid off. All will be offered a voluntary retirement program and if not enough offer to take it, the library system will have to make lay-offs.
If additional sources of funding are not found in the next year, the library will face additional cuts as early as 2011.