Community Conversation On The Library's Cuts To Evening Hours: A Recap
By Kevin Gosztola, Editor
On May 30, the Elmwood Park Advocate held its third “Community Conversation” of 2026. It was admittedly not the best time to hold a gathering. Everyone agreed that there were fewer people due to graduation parties and the beginning of summer break.
Still, 12 people showed up to discuss the Elmwood Park Public Library and the cuts to evening hours that go into effect on June 1.
Although the meeting was not organized by the library, it was the first public opportunity in the library for residents seeking to learn about the changes to hours and share their perspectives.
The discussion began with residents describing what the library means to them. Also, since we were at a library, everyone shared what they were reading now.
One resident spoke about how their kids like to do the scavenger hunts. Often, they stay late at the library and staff has to shoo them out. Another person, who is a second generation Elmwood Park, shared how he recently watched an immigrant mother stand in the library with their child as staff helped her make copies. It reminded him of a similar experience with his Irish mother decades ago.
“I love this library so much,” a working mom shared. While growing up, she recalled coming to the library to escape the heat. The library is a “haven for people whose AC doesn’t work so well.” She praised the selection of children’s books at the library.
A retired 25-year resident said it can be difficult to find newer books at the library. Sometimes he’ll just buy the book instead of waiting. Later, another resident said they are usually successful in making requests for books. They have fond memories of coming to the library with their niece, who really enjoyed the clubs and movie events.
One working mom mentioned that she often uses the library for business, and even the rooms are useful for arranging meetings. Yet another retired resident admitted that they have not used the library that much lately. They wondered if the library has a book club or a series of events on Elmwood Park history. (When informed that there are history events, they said that the website is not that easy to navigate.)
The discussion veered into a serious consideration of the problems facing the library and whether anyone is concerned about the amount of tax dollars that goes into the library. No person had a particularly strong attitude about library funding.
Library Trustee Mike Monahan was in attendance. He was the only trustee who voted against cutting library evening hours. After introducing himself, Mike clarified some information and answered a few questions. He said about $200 in tax money goes into the library from each resident.
The retired 25-year resident said he believed that a library should purchase books that are representative of broad range of subjects. They specifically emphasized the value of physical books, rather than electronic books.
Another working mom suggested that the library do a better job of making documents that show what they spend available to the public. They also were concerned about when the library board has scheduled its board meetings and committee meetings. It is difficult for working people to attend.
Baker & Taylor, a major book distributor for libraries, declared bankruptcy after a failed buyout and abruptly shut down in 2025. Mike provided a little background on how this affected the library. It somewhat explained why the library stopped purchasing books and other materials last year.
Though as I emphasized, Cook County’s property tax distribution delays presented cash flow problems that became a severe challenge for the library. I do not believe that the library has been particularly clear or consistent with residents about the fact that this meant the library was not buying books, audiobooks, DVDs, or video games, even though there were funds available in the budget. They held on to the funds after taking out a loan to help the library get through the fiscal year.
More questions were raised about library spending, since hours are being cut in the evening. The second working mom in attendance wanted an explanation for why the library spent so much money on lawyers at Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins.
Did the library look at how many people are here during each hour of the day when determining whether to make cuts to hours? The answer is yes, based upon patron interactions. But several agreed that it did not make a lot of sense to vote on reducing hours—and then put in a people counter after the vote.
After I outlined the amount of money that was not spent on books and other materials last year, the question was posed: Will this affect library funds? As in, will the amount of funds available for books go down because the library did not use the funds last year?
The residents in the room represented a decent cross-section of Elmwood Park. They were retirees and parents with demanding work schedules. The majority could see the benefit to expanding library hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
We closed with some final thoughts about whether there will be more cuts in the future. Because the logic behind cutting the 8-9 p.m. hour on weekdays also could be used by the library director and library board to justify closing at 7 p.m. or 6 p.m. on certain days.
The working mom said the library is a public good. Copies of books and information need to be readily available, especially in the age of AI where major tech companies are trying to privatize knowledge and force people to pay fees if they wish to obtain access.
Yet another person agreed. “The library is a public resource and should be optimized for the public. My taxes rise each year, but the library is providing less.” And, “It’s unclear how the saved funds will be redistributed,” referring to money saved by cutting hours.
The second working mom said the library should have held public meetings (perhaps, like this community conversation) at varying times and on different days to collect input from as many taxpaying residents as possible prior to cutting library hours.
The Elmwood Park Advocate made a copy of the survey that the library handed out to 24 participants at a “Trivia Night.” It was shared with attendees, and in the coming days, the Elmwood Park Advocate will invite readers and Facebook page followers to fill out this survey. That way we can spread more information about what residents think about evening hours at the library.
Finally, the newsletter will hold its next “Community Conversation” on Saturday, June 20. We’ll share an announcement soon.