Miller library to permanently close

The Miller Library will close its doors next month, leaving citizens without a local library.

The small branch, nestled on Miller’s Main Street, had seen declining traffic and use of services for some time making the shut down necessary.

The Miller library, a branch of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library (BLRL) will close its doors on June 30, in a move that Greg Brown, public relations coordinator said was a long time coming. 

The library had seen its usage gradually dwindle over the years, with more citizens choosing to use the larger libraries at nearby, more populated towns. This is common according to Brown, who said that, more often than not, people will go check out books where they get their groceries. 

Communities like Mt. Vernon are more likely to draw usage at their libraries, not just because of the size of the population but also because of the availability of other necessities and amenities, said Brown. But this is not the only problem facing the small library building. He also attributes the lack of usage to the decay of Main Street commerce in small communities’ downtown areas. 

“The biggest issue for Miller was that downtowns are not the business hubs they used to be,” said Brown. “The buildings next to [the library] are empty.”

Lack of funds was another problem that led to the imminent closure of the library, said Brown. With recent changes in Missouri property tax laws, libraries are trying to get by with less funding than before. According to Brown, over 90 percent of the operating budget comes from property taxes. The decline in collected property taxes due to a variety of factors coincides with an overall increase in the operating budget due to inflation, said Brown, making a bad situation worse. 

“We’re honestly scared for the future,” he said. “Inflation is the fire in which we all burn.”

The closure of the library was a last resort according to Brown, who said that the BLRL put extensive effort into increasing library visits in Miller.

“We are very sorry that [the closure] was necessary,” said Brown. “We wish that there was another way of handling the situation.

Despite the closure of this library, BLRL will continue to provide services to the citizens of Miller, including book delivery, but for other services such as summer reading programs, they may have to drive a little further than before. 

“All patrons of the BLRL are welcome at all branches across Barry and Lawrence counties,” said BLRL Director Gina Milburn in an online release. “Your library services are never farther away than your computer or smartphone with apps like Libby that can deliver books right to your hands. We offer online library services that every patron can access 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”