FRIDAY, July 24, 2026|
Photo – Carbon County Library main branch in Rawlins – Bigfoot99 file photo
No Carbon County libraries will close thanks to donations from the County Commissioners, contributions from the Library Foundation, and a new funding model.
Statewide residential property tax relief measures have reduced the amount of money local governments receive. In the 2025 through 2026 fiscal year, Carbon County lost more than $900,000 in tax revenue, resulting in a $500,000 deduction from its annual contributions to outside services, such as museums, senior centers, and libraries.
The Carbon County Library System saw a 53 percent reduction in its county contribution last fiscal year, and this year the System will receive a similar level of support.
Originally, Library Board members warned that the budget cuts would lead to the closure of outlying branches, including the Hanna and Medicine Bow Libraries, as the county is only legally required to maintain the Rawlins branch. However, this fiscal year, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners donated $30,000 to be evenly split among all seven libraries.
Interim Library System Director Jenita Calton said the money will allow every branch to remain open for five hours a week but added that many communities wanted more.
Calton created what she is calling the Partner Program to allow towns to “purchase” more hours for their libraries. The interim director said she calculates the cost of keeping each branch open for additional hours, subtracts the amount of money the Library System has set aside for that location, and sends an invoice to the town for the difference.
Calton said the idea for the Partner Program came after she learned that a group of Carbon County residents persuaded the Board of Commissioners to fund additional branches. Now, a century later, she said residents must come together again to show they want libraries in their communities.
Calton said the Partner Program has received positive feedback from towns, with Saratoga and Little Snake River Valley already signed up to increase their branches’ hours through the initiative. The interim director said she expects Encampment and Elk Mountain to join as well. However, the towns of Hanna and Medicine Bow have chosen to keep their branches at five hours a week. She said doubling the hours at the Hanna Library, for example, would cost the town roughly $3,000 a year.
To further support the outlaying branches, Calton said the nonprofit Carbon County Library Foundation, which fundraises for the entire Library System, has chosen to cover every expense except staffing. She said the Foundation members, including herself, expect the Board of Commissioners to pay for the Library System’s employees.
When the Library Board members first considered closing branches, several municipalities and Friends of the Library groups agreed to provide additional financial support to their locations, including paying internet and postage fees. Calton said the Carbon County Library Foundation will now cover all those costs so towns can use their money to increase hours of operation instead.
Calton said Friends of the Library groups, which fundraise for specific branches, can also increase hours of operation through donations. The interim library director encouraged people to contact her for guidance on starting a Friends of the Library group in their own town.
Calton said she hopes participation in the Partner Program will demonstrate to county officials that residents want to keep their libraries open, possibly prompting additional county support. She added that, even without increased funding, she believes the initiative will enable the outlying branches to remain open indefinitely.
Calton said the Partner Program means communities no longer have to rely solely on the Board of Commissioners for a library, giving towns confidence that they can financially support their own branches.
For more information about the Partner Program or how to start a Friends of the Library group, email Carbon County Library System Interim Director Jenita Calton at director@carbonlibraries.org.
