DC Public Library warns proposed FY26 budget could cut hours, collections despite some capital wins

Rich, executive director of the DC Public Library, told the board that the mayor’s proposed FY26 budget would likely reduce operating hours and cut the collections budget while restoring some capital requests.

Rich said the city’s proposed operating reduction is “approximately a 2% reduction” and that, if it stands, “we are absolutely looking at a reduction in hours and also a significant cut to the collections budget.” He also told trustees the city had issued a waiver to allow purchase of library materials so “we are, once again, buying books.”

The budget presentation matters because reductions to operating money would translate into fewer open hours across the system and smaller purchases for circulation and programming. The executive director said the library has carried a flat collections budget of about $4.7 million in recent years and that peer systems such as Denver and Columbus have higher collections spending.

Trustees were given a high-level summary of both the FY25 “summer” adjustments and the FY26 proposal. The executive director said the FY25 temporary fixes mean there will be no furloughs or layoffs this summer but that hiring and spending freezes, and attrition, remain in place. He described an uncertain treatment of the library’s carryover revenue-generating funds, which the administration appears to have “swept” this year and which total “well over a million dollars.”

On capital spending, the presentation included several positive items: a request for $7 million to finish the Congress Heights Library appears to be included in the mayor’s proposal, and $1.3 million was identified for increases to the Petworth renovation. The director said the library will continue to press for needed operating funds tied to new or expanded buildings, noting that the Southeast Library expansion did not receive opening-day operating funds or the typical $250,000 opening collection in the proposed budget.

The library’s budget staff and executive team are still reviewing details. The DC Council will consider and alter the proposal; the board was told a legislative oversight hearing before the Council’s Committee on Human Services, chaired by Councilmember Matthew Frumin, is scheduled for June 10. Trustees were urged to prepare constituent outreach to council members before that hearing.

The executive director said some decisions remain unclear and underlined the difference between the current proposed budget and a final appropriation: the FY26 proposal could change during Council markup. Trustees asked for follow-up materials and a breakdown of likely service-hour impacts; staff said they will provide more detailed analyses to the board and to branch managers once crosswalks are complete.