Wake library workers plan to protest cuts to staff, programs on Monday

Wake County library workers say chronic understaffing and cuts to staff hours are hurting library programming and services.

Workers plan to protest at 6 p.m. Monday outside the Wake County Commons Building off Poole Road in east Raleigh, Wake Library Workers United announced in a news release Friday. That’s just before a 7 p.m. public hearing on the county’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget.

Wake County budgets for 285 library worker positions and has 23 library locations, according to the county’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget.

Understaffing and reduced temporary staff hours have resulted in “high burnout and turnover among staff,” Wake Library Workers United said in the release.

“I equate it to breathing only through a straw,” Maura Dixon, a Wake County librarian and union member, said in the release. “Yes, you can breathe for a short while, but eventually it will not be sufficient to survive.”

The result, according to the union, is that “family storytime, adult programming, offsite library events, online chat support and job and technology help appointments” are being scaled back.

Management has refused to discuss possible solutions to the staffing issues with the union, the release stated.

What does Wake County say?

Wake County Library Director Tammy Baggett pushed back against the union’s assertions in a statement Friday evening.

“While the number of programs offered this year was modestly lower, much of that decrease was tied to the temporary closure of West Regional Library during renovations,” she said in the statement. “Even so, attendance grew by more than 11,000 participants, and average attendance per program increased significantly.”

Wake County Manager David Ellis’ proposed budget would reduce the libraries’ allocation by about 4.8%, from the fiscal year 2026 budget of $39.4 million to around $37.8 million.

Wake County budgeted around $35.2 million in fiscal year 2025 for libraries. The fiscal year 2027 budget proposal would keep the same number of library worker positions as it has for the previous two years, according to the proposed budget.

“Like many public agencies, Wake County has faced difficult budget conditions in recent years, requiring careful evaluation of all staffing requests,” Baggett said in the statement. “At this time, library performance data does not show widespread service decline. Customer satisfaction remains high, program attendance has increased, and libraries continue serving large numbers of residents across the system.”

The union also cited a “30% cut to temporary staff hours” as affecting library services.

Temporary positions are used to help cover gaps created by employee leave, vacancies, and times when permanent staff are working on special projects, according to the county.

Temporary positions are funded through salary savings the county gets when permanent roles are vacant, according to the county.

Baggett said that the library system had dramatically increased the usage of those temporary position hours from around 2020 to around 2023, but in more recent years it has decreased the number of temporary position hours.

In fiscal year 2024, for example, the libraries went over their budget for temporary position hours, requiring additional funds to be transferred to cover them.

Since then, the county has tried to stick to only using the available funds, which meant decreases in the temporary position hours.

“At the same time, library leadership recognizes that some employees have expressed concerns about workload and staffing levels,” Baggett said. “To better understand those concerns, the library launched a systemwide staffing study earlier this year that includes staff surveys and focus groups. We will continue to ensure decisions are informed by both operational data and direct employee feedback.”

This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 5:55 PM.

Nolan Wilkinson

The News & Observer