The board and library administration claim these cuts will impact all areas of the library system equitably, but that doesn't appear to be the case. The workers most likely to bear the burden are unionized employees, who represent 77% of library staff, are least likely to afford a job loss, and stand to lose healthcare along with their paychecks.
Jackson County Library District is proposing to eliminate the equivalent of 8.45 full-time positions, cut all Sunday library hours, reduce Thursday evening hours, and cut branch weekday hours by one hour for the Medford and Ashland branches. This is not a sudden funding crisis; it is the result of a structural budget imbalance that was allowed to grow unchecked while the board and administration failed to act. We have watched what happened at Timberland Regional Library in Washington, where the same pattern of delayed action led to 61 frontline layoffs and branches going dark. We are asking our Board to choose a different path. JCLD still has time: with over $1 million above its own required financial reserves and no permanent director yet in place to lead a long-term plan, the Board should reject these cuts, protect front-line library jobs, and use available reserves to maintain full staffing while responsible leadership and planning are established.
Our county is already facing significant job losses, potential cuts at Southern Oregon University, and a projected elimination of 300 positions at Asante. Our community cannot absorb more. Each branch in Jackson County serves a unique population, and cuts will hurt the people who rely on these spaces most. From the children who use the Butte Falls branch as a safe place to gather, the Ruch Outdoor Community School that depends on everything the Ruch branch offers, the bilingual programs at White City, and the wide range of community resources available in Medford and Ashland, even minimal cuts have real consequences for real people.
Libraries are one of the last true third spaces in our communities. Any reduction in hours or staff puts access to that space at risk for everyone.
