to free up half a million bucks for the library all they would have to do is fire 10 cops. hell most cops easily make $50,000 or more. the cops would not be missed at all and the library would have some money to do its thing, something which actually benifits the citizens of mesa Original Article Budget squeeze in Mesa putting strain on library staff Art Thomason The Arizona Republic Jan. 25, 2006 12:00 AM MESA - Heather Wolf walked through an empty conference room, passing vacant offices and dead-to-the-world computer screens until she took a seat beside a table. The barren space is a sign of the times, Wolf acknowledged, as the early-afternoon sun beamed through her office windows on the second floor of the Mesa Public Library. The city's interim library director has inherited the loss of 42 staff positions over the past year and a $500,000 budget cut. Wolf has all but delved into books about legendary magician Harry Houdini to keep up with an annual circulation of more than 3.1 million publications, attend to the needs of 1.2 million walk-in customers and prevent the apparent inevitability of closing two busy branch libraries. "The leadership team and I are coping with keeping three libraries open with almost the same staffing level we had 10 years ago while the workload keeps going up," she said. "We can't ask the staff to work any harder. "At times, we're so short-staffed that we close help desks. We're trying to put out more automated checkout machines, but sometimes there is nobody at the circulation desk to assist customers with them. We know that it's frustrating when a person has a problem and there is nobody there to ask." With only one person to answer questions in the main library's Mesa Room, the archive of the city's history is now open by appointment only, Wolf said. The budget hit list also eliminated popular children's events, including the Halloween party, Teddy Bear Picnic and Read Your Way to the Ballpark. Also gone are all adult programs except a periodic session on operating businesses. The cancellation list covers programs on retirement and financial planning, gardening, book discussions and summer and winter reading. Over the past decade, Wolf said, annual book circulation has risen by more than 600,000 while the number of people walking into the library is up by almost 258,000. As of Tuesday, the combined staff for all three libraries numbered 79 full-time and 75 part-time employees. "The numbers are staggering," said Dennis Kavanaugh, a former Mesa City Councilman who will outline the libraries' plight Saturday during the annual meeting of the Friends of the City of Mesa Library. "Our library system used to be a gold standard by which other communities were judged," Kavanaugh said. "It has regressed so rapidly that it's astounding." The library friends have been at the forefront of keeping the library's problems before the public. Last month, a candlelight vigil sponsored by the group in front of the main library attracted about 200 people. Kavanaugh said the decline in library services will get worse until the city's budget crisis is alleviated with additional revenue from sources such as a primary property tax and a sales-tax increase. Both taxes will appear on the ballot May 16. Wolf said the library's leadership team may go back to the city manager's staff and City Council soon in an effort to make further cuts in hours and determine what services can be dropped. Placed at the library's top job Jan. 1, Wolf was involved in a musical chairs episode in which the library lost top managers to other city departments or saw them take on jobs to plug gaps. Another shift in personnel prompted the library's leadership team to close the Mesa Room to general traffic, she said. A version of this story may have appeared in your community section or your community Republic.