Grant County Library at risk due to budget woes, supporters search for solutions

JOHN DAY — The Grant County Library’s future is uncertain.

The Grant County Court, together with the members of the budget committee, are looking to balance the county’s book, and closing the library has come to dominate those discussions. The library is not a service the county has to provide for residents.

The budget committee consisting of the Grant County judge, commissioners and members of the public, decided to use whatever funds from the county’s $4.5 million in unappropriated funds to balance this year’s county budget. With an eye on reigning in future budget woes, the budget committee is contemplating cuts.

Closing the library would save the county a little more than $200,000. Half of the library’s operating budget goes to paying staff.

People associated with the library, including the library director, the Library Foundation and one concerned petition organizer have begun exploring strategies to keep it operational.

Library statistics

According to statistics from Oregon.gov, the Grant County Library had 1,477 registered users in 2024.

The Grant County Library has two full-time equivalent positions and three volunteers who manage 36,592 books, 853 physical audio and 2,457 video items, 511 local ebooks and 388 local audio ebooks. The Grant County Library also has 61,617 shared ebooks and 40,311 shared audiobooks through Library2Go.

Grant County Library Director Chris Ostberg said the library checked out more than 24,000 books to residents of John Day alone.

Oregon.gov shows the Grant County Library with $200,595 in county operating revenue in 2024 with an additional $10,806 in state revenue. The library had $45,540 in other operating revenue and $30,284 in other capital revenue in 2024.

What closing could mean

Ostberg said there have been numerous studies that link the closure of libraries with increased crime.

“You have to have libraries so people have a safe to go to get away from, to entertain, to have something to do,” she said.

Studies also have shown lasting negative effects to student reading and math test scores following the closure of a library.

Stephanie Thompson saw talk of the library closing on Facebook and decided to organize a petition to save the facility. Thompson’s petition is available at the library and on Google Docs and has amassed more than 400 signatures from people within the community and those who either visit or used to live in the community.

Thompson was born and raised in John Day. She spent some time away before returning to the community to raise her four children here. She said she’d had some reservations about the lack of amenities in the community when mulling the move back and losing the library would only add to her concerns.

“I hate to see the children of Grant County lose one more thing, one more resource, one more form of entertainment — really my motivating factor is my children but also everybody else’s children too,” she said.

Ostberg said closure of the Grant County Library also will make it hard to attract the business and people that are necessary for sustained growth.

“The services we provide help the community tenfold,” she said. “If you are trying to get an industry into this area — there aren’t many that are going to come in because their families and their workers have nothing to do … it’s going to be even harder for them to get people into this area and to stay in this area.”

Thompson shared the same concerns Ostberg does regarding the closure of the library affecting the growth of the community in a negative way.

“I just think in today’s day and age, that’s just something young families expect is that their kids are going to have access to physical activity and learning and books and if we close the door on that, I’m afraid we’re closing the door drawing people to live here,” Thompson said.

Thompson and Ostberg expressed concern that if the library closes it may never reopen.

Next steps

The Grant County Library Foundation has been fundraising to build a new library in Grant County for more than 30 years and has amassed around $413,000, according to foundation tax records. Those dollars are classified as capital funds and only can be used for the purpose of building a new facility.

Ostberg has reached out to the Oregon State Library to investigate next steps in the struggle to keep the library open. There also were discussions at the May 14 budget committee meeting about raising fees at the library to help cover operational costs.

Thompson and others are continuing the petition drive and informing the public about the status of the library.

Ultimately, retaining and funding the library could fall to the people.

The prospect of a library taxing district also came up at the May 14 budget committee meeting. There were reservations about whether voters would further tax themselves to keep the library’s doors open, but Ostberg said she feels the levy could carry due to widespread public support of the library.

“If you are a user of the library,” she said, “even if you’re not, if your granddaughter, grandson, uncle, nephew — I’m sure somebody in your family uses the library — be supportive, come out and help with the library.”