Due to state budget cuts, the Great Falls Public Library lost $28,000 in state aid this year.

Library staff budgeted to shift their funds from materials to operations so that they could request additional funding from the Great Falls Public Library Foundation.

On Tuesday, Kathy Mora, library director, told the library board that the foundation had approved $28,000 to replace the regular materials budget.

Library staff hoping to restore Monday hours

Staff are still considering options for using additional tax revenue to restore some Monday hours, Mora said.

City budget proposal impacted by legislative actions, cuts

The foundation also approved $25,000 for audiovisual materials and $29,000 for adult non-fiction materials; as well as $11,164 for the MontanaLibrary2Go subscription; $14,000 for CollectionHQ and $978 toward a statewide consortium for electronic access to EBSCO Automate database on auto repair information.

The CollectionHQ subscription is an online tool that analyzes library collections and helps with materials selection and de-selection. It helps enable staff make more cost- and time-effective purchasing decisions to meet community needs, More told the board.

Mora updated the board on panhandling issues and said that it is not illegal so library staff cannot ask panhandlers to leave the premises.

Redesigning downtown to reduce transient traffic

Mora said they plan to have future training on the issue and “we want to educate our patrons that it’s okay to say no,” to panhandlers.

Starting on Nov. 1, Achieve Montana will be advertising on the side of the BookMobile. The company is paying $675 for the advertising through April 30. Achieve Montana and Wendt Advertising paid the cost of creating the advertising board, so the funds will be used for BookMobile expenses and/or collections.