Sinclair Library Checks Out

The Carbon County Library System is now down to seven branches following the closure of the Sinclair Branch Library on Monday.

The announcement came from Maria Wenzel, executive director of the Carbon County Library System, in a press release late Thursday morning. According to the press release, the majority of the funding for the library system comes from the Carbon County Government at approximately 80%. This funding primarily goes to staffing and operations of all eight branches of the library system.

Following a county budget session for Fiscal Year 2024-2025, the library system received $350,000 from the County government which was $24,000 less than the year before. With a cut in funding, according to the press release, the Carbon County Library System Board of Directors decided to close the Sinclair Branch.

“Our librarians and the library board are shaken by the closure,” said Wenzel. “However, it is our job to be financially responsible with the taxpayers’ funds we have been entrusted with. With decreased foot traffic and low circulation, we cannot financially justify spending taxpayer dollars during a budget pinch on resources that are underutilized.”

According to the press release, upon receiving their budget reduction, Carbon County Library System staff and the Board of Directors reviewed the full budget of the library system along with visit and circulation statistics for each branch. Sinclair, statistics showed, had the lowest usage with only 161 visits in the last fiscal year. This came out a cost to the library system of $75.10 per visit. This, according to the information provided in the press release, was the highest cost for the library system.

By comparison, the Medicine Bow Branch Library had 801 visits with a cost of $23 per visit and the Hanna Branch Library had 581 visits with a cost of $30.61 per visit.

Along with closing the Sinclair Library, the Carbon County Library System Board of Directors also made cuts to operational expenses at the other branches and reduced the hours of operation at the Medicine Bow Branch Library.

The Carbon County Library System will maintain its branches in Rawlins, Saratoga, Encampment, Baggs, Hanna, Elk Mountain and Medicine Bow.