Niles Public Library, AFSCME 31 Save Library from Cuts

 One day after a July 20, 2021 rally when more than 150 AFSCME members and their supporters spoke out against threatened cuts to library staff, services and hours in the suburb of Niles north of Chicago, the library board approved a budget plan that avoids the worst of the cuts.

“The library is all about our community, and this board wants to cut the programs that help us serve you all,” said AFSCME member and librarian Donna Block said at the rally. “They want to cut services like children’s librarians visiting schools and recommending materials for our students; they want to cut our teen AV collection; they want to cut the hours of our teen space; and they want to cut outreach deliveries to nursing homes and homebound patrons. Does that sound OK to you?”

The crowd responded with a resounding “No!”