Dayton Metro Library to close Sundays after state funding cut

May 21—Dayton Metro Library's main branch is eliminating its Sunday hours as a "cost-saving measure."

Library officials say the decision on the Sunday closure was influenced by a drop in Public Library Fund money, and the new schedule for the main branch will save the library system $143,000 annually.

Library programming will not be significantly impacted by the new schedule for the main branch, located in downtown Dayton, according to Dayton Metro spokeswoman Debi Chess.

Dayton Metro Library operates dozens of locations throughout Montgomery County. The downtown Dayton branch has been open on Sundays from 1-5 p.m. and is the only location to have Sunday hours.

Although the new closures officially begin in June, Dayton Metro's main branch will also be closed on Sunday in observance of Memorial Day.

The main branch was open on Sundays primarily to help students and their families have time and space for research, Chess said.

According to the Ohio Library Council, an organization that advocates for public libraries, roughly 51% of the total funding for Ohio's public libraries comes from the state through the Public Library Fund.

The Montgomery County Budget Commission, which consists of the county's auditor, treasurer and prosecutor, last year passed along $25 million in state funding to local libraries. This is down from $26.6 million the prior fiscal year.

Montgomery County's drop in funding mirrored that of other counties in the state, budget commission officials commented.

Dayton Metro Library saw a more than $850,000 decrease in its allocation compared to the year before. The county's largest library system makes up a little more than 80% of the county's Public Library Fund.

"The library fund underperformed for this year," Chess said. "We're seeing less money come to Dayton Metro. I can't speak for others in our area, but I know many libraries are also looking at their budgets and having to make these kinds of decisions."