How the Los Angeles Public Library Responded to Budget Cuts

This article provides an overview of how Los Angeles Public Library, its community, and elected officials responded to reductions mandated by its funding agencies. The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) and its communities faced and are still facing recessionary budget pressures that started in 2007. In recent decades the mayor and City Council of Los Angeles have supported the libraries that have come to define the great cultural heritage and a significant landmark in the heart of the city. The most recent budget shortfall—that which began in 2007—was brought on by huge, mandated increases in pension payments due to city workers’ funds, particularly in the police and fire departments. At LAPL the budget shortfall created severe personnel, material, and service cuts. This case study describes what happened when the budget crises occurred and how the library department, citizens, and elected city officials dealt with them.