KALONA

The Kalona Public Library may not be in danger of immediate closure, but it has had to shrink its services following the passage of state-level property tax reform in May 2023. Today, the library is open 10 fewer hours a week, and staffing has been reduced some 30% compared to years prior.

That’s the equivalent of closing the library two months a year, and the loss of 1.5 full time jobs.

Have patrons noticed? Likely not. Over the last two years the Kalona Public Library has done a good job of covering for the loss of 13% of its annual budget, approximately $32,000, which had come from a voter-approved levy paid by Kalona residents prior to the passage of HF 718.

The City of Kalona, Library Board of Trustees, and the Kalona Public Library Foundation are working together to mitigate the impact. The Kalona Public Library Foundation has especially been supportive; its being awarded a WCRF grant in Fall 2024 helped along with contributing over $8,000 towards budgeted books and materials last year. But after two years of reduced government funding, the library will have to reduce programing and acquisitions unless something changes.

“The Foundation has increased its financial support of the library over the last two years and has new financial support goals going into the next budget year,” Foundation Director and Library Board Trustee Christina Grier said. “We are now in a place where fundraising and donations are critical to maintain services.”

The KPL Foundation will offer ‘Friends’ sponsorships for individuals, families, and businesses at their booth at the Kalona Farmers Market on Saturday, August 9, where they will also celebrate National Book Lovers Day with activities for kids and adults.

By sponsoring the library as a ‘Friend,’ community members and organizations will directly impact the library’s ability to continue the summer reading program and purchase new books, for example.

“This year we were able to pay for the summer programs with donations,” Library Director Olivia Kahler said. “Without an influx of donations, next summer is most likely where we will see programming cuts.”

The library’s summer reading program reaches all ages, kids and adults, and provides fun activities, presentations, games, and crafts at no charge. In addition, it incentivizes reading, helping everyone level up their reading skills during a time of the year when they might otherwise decline.

Every month the library adds new materials to its collection and purges that which is overworn and out-of-date. But where there were once 100 new items on the shelves, there are now 60-75, largely because the library doesn’t have sufficient staff to keep up with the time-consuming process of preparing items for circulation.

Going forward, that amount of new stock may dwindle even further.

“We are around $10,000 short in our regular books/materials budget,” Kahler said, explaining the budget covers new and replacement books, newspaper and magazine subscriptions, audio books, DVDs, large print and multi-lingual materials, and playaway devices. “The Foundation is actively trying to raise funds to make up for the loss of book budget.”

If the loss of local funding weren’t enough, a federal decision may also impact the services the Kalona Public Library offers. On March 14, President Trump signed an executive order intended to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) – the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services.

“The executive order will have a trickle-down effect in which the State Library of Iowa will have hard choices to make in the programs and services that they will need to cut due to funding, and therefore some of the services they provide will be cut off for us as well,” Kahler said.

“The biggest negative impact for KPL specifically will be the inter-library loan service,” she continued, explaining that the Kalona library can temporarily obtain books and movies it doesn’t own from other libraries, should a patron request them. “We order inter-library loan items for patrons every single day.”

Items ordered through ILL may be too old, obscure, or expensive for the Kalona library to own itself. In recent years associated costs have been covered by the state; however, a loss of federal funding may mean Kalona patrons will once again be charged a fee, around $1-2, to cover the cost of postage – and they may wait longer to receive items requested.

A movement away from using tax dollars to fund public goods seems to require the citizens who value them to freely offer their financial support to keep them going. The library is such an entity; it provides access to information, educational opportunities, and community gathering spaces for all, regardless of ability to pay.

Now especially, community members have an opportunity to meaningfully support the Kalona Public Library, whether by becoming a ‘Friend’ or participating in fundraisers like the Spring and Fall (Sept. 27) Book Sales, Autumn Leaves and Good Reads (Oct. 11) and Cookie Walk (Dec. 6). Their donations and purchases will have a direct impact on the library’s programming, collection, and services.

Visit the KPL Foundations’ booth at the Kalona Farmer’s Market on August 9 from 9 a.m. to noon, downtown Kalona. Celebrate National Book Lovers Day, enjoy activities, and purchase a ‘Friends’ sponsorship. To arrange a financial gift to the Kalona Public Library Foundation, call 319-656-3501 or email director@kalonalibrary.org.