EXPAND VIDEO Alice Butts, president, board of trustees for Cleveland Public Library, reflects on the Library's contributions to the community over the past year.
My Place to Dream. Create. Grow.

2009 brought to libraries across the country extreme budget challenges that demanded innovative strategies and farsighted budget planning. Our talented administrative team worked very hard to continue meeting ever-increasing patron demand without layoffs or branch closings. We managed to do more with fewer staff by scaling back on expenses and conserving our resources.

The year was full of tough decisions. But I believe that our organization has emerged stronger with a renewed commitment to taking on challenges and serving the community.

We salute and applaud our energetic and enthusiastic new director, Felton Thomas, who has the vision to guide our Library into new areas of service, as well as the ability to draw out the best in the people who work with him and around him. We are also thankful for our many ongoing partnerships and collaborations with area schools, community groups and funders that enable us to continue serving the community with fewer budget dollars.

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