The Dallas County Board of Supervisors meeting room was filled with librarians Tuesday morning, as the Library Association brought their budget proposal before the Board.

Perry Public Library Director Mary Murphy spoke for the Association, presenting statistics from 2019 for each of the County libraries, as well as photos from the several countywide programs. She said across the 12 libraries, over 470,000 items were circulated, they had over 333,000 visitors, 52,000 computer uses, 3,342 programs offered, and 82,000 attendees at the programs. Additionally, Adel Public Library Director Paula James said the Association is planning a new teen program, which will compliment the children and adult events that have been popular over the years.

The presentation then led to what the Library Association was requesting in funding, which was a total of $147,000 for the year 2020. Murphy said that amount reflects an increase of $12,000 from the previous year, or $1,000 for each individual library. She pointed out that the additional funds won’t be allocated that way, as the larger libraries in Perry, Adel, and Waukee have more funding needs than the smaller ones in Dexter and Minburn. However, she said each director agreed on what would be an appropriate piece of the pie for their libraries. The Supervisors will consider the proposal when constructing the County budget.