CANTON – The Canton Free Library is concerned that if funding and programs stay at current levels, they could end up with a $20,000 deficit in 2013.

The library board of trustees calls the situation “dire,” having already “trimmed all the extras and are now looking at which essentials to reduce or eliminate.”

They are asking for donations from the public to sustain the programs and maintain the buildings and staff.

In a Letter to the Editor, the library board noted that the Canton staff won the first-ever “Customer Service Award” from the 65-library North Country Library System.

But they note that costs continue to rise while funding from the state and county has been cut in recent years.

The full text of the letter follows:

To the Editor:

The Canton Free Library Board of Trustees is proud to announce that the library’s entire staff recently won the first-ever “Customer Service Award” from the North Country Library System. The library staff has provided superb service to our community for years. This award puts them at the top of 65 member libraries across four counties in northern New York. Congratulations to each of them for an award we all know they have earned and deserve.

Our library provides a full slate of programs, especially for our young people. Valerie White offers year-round story time for preschoolers and an awesome summer reading program for children who are 18 months old to age 12. She also offers afterschool programs for elementary students, including “Magic Tree House Club” for kindergarteners through second graders and “Tween Time” for eight to 12 year olds. Teens and young adults up to 21 years old participate in Krista Briggs’s award-winning youth activities, including Anime Club, Gaming Club and Friday Night Cinema. The group is involved in a growing list of community activities, including planning to continue its book cart drill team in Canton’s Annual Dairy Princess Parade.

The library’s collection continues to grow. Even as costs rise, the library subscribes to a wide variety of newspapers and magazines. In addition to old-fashioned books and audio books, we also offer downloadable books for those patrons who own e-readers. We have laptop computers for use in-house on our wi-fi network. Our branch libraries in Rensselaer Falls and Morley have joined the automated network of libraries, which makes their collections more readily available to all library users. As times change, our library works hard to keep pace with our patrons’ needs and preferences.

These services, classes, programs and materials cost money. We have been facing severe budget cuts from the county and state through the past few years. However, we gratefully acknowledge the continued support of the Canton town and village boards in our funding. We have trimmed many lines in our annual budget to stay fiscally responsible, and we are in the process of cutting further for 2012. Needless to say, we have trimmed all the extras and are now looking at which essentials to reduce or eliminate. The situation is dire. If all of our funding stays the same, we project a $20,000 deficit in 2013.

It is with these facts and concerns in mind that we undertake our first year-end appeal. We need people who value the library to come forward and help keep our library open, our programs full, and our collection growing. We hope you will consider making a tax deductible contribution to the Canton Free Library. Your support will help us continue to maintain the collection, programs, classes and services for which we have received recognition and help us maintain our historic 103-year old building as well.

Your donation can be mailed to the Canton Free Library, PO Box 150, Canton, NY 13617.

Sincerely,

The Canton Free Library Board of Trustees: President Tom Langen, Vice President Deb Lyndaker, Marilyn Ardito, Charles Carvel, Edith Frazer, Kate Newell, Art Quackenbush, Shelly Sanderson, Leon Sawyko, Shailindar Singh, Linda Smith, Suna Stone-McMasters, Conrad Stuntz