Library proposes staffing changes and new $20 nonresident card fee; council presses for branch-level data

Sukrit Goswami, director of the San Antonio Public Library, told council the proposed FY27 library budget is $60.8 million, with $58.1 million in the general fund. The proposal includes $1.3 million in capital funding and $1.4 million in grant support; Goswami said $400,000 and four positions are included to reopen an expanded Carver branch. "This budget emphasizes continuous investment in the community in the most efficient manner," he said.

As part of efficiencies identified in the city's comprehensive budget review, the library proposes reductions that would eliminate 39 positions (27 branch library aids and 12 circulation attendants) tied to transactional work; staff said librarians and library assistants would be preserved and that 17 of the affected positions are currently vacant. Goswami described a staffing model that maintains seven-day, 56-hour weekly service while shifting duties toward librarians, library assistants and training officers given declines in physical handling metrics: "Since 2019, check ins of physical materials have decreased by 40% while staff assisted checkouts have decreased by 62%."

The library also proposed two revenue changes: increasing the lost-item processing fee from $5 to $10 (estimated $10,000 annually) and creating a $20 annual library card fee for Bexar County residents who live outside San Antonio (roughly 97,000 current nonresident cardholders). Staff estimated about half of those cardholders would pay the new fee, producing ~$1 million annually.

Councilmembers requested branch-level data showing how digital versus physical circulation and staff-handled transactions have changed by location, and asked for a plan to monitor customer satisfaction after the staffing changes. Library staff committed to providing the requested metrics and a follow-up plan for satisfaction measurement developed with Communications & Engagement.