$2 million life raft sought by March 24 for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (USA)

From American Libraries: "Frantic messages with hashtags of #cmlibrary and #2millioninoneweek are dotting the twitterverse about efforts to avert - or at least allay - sudden plans to close 12 branches of the Charlotte Mecklenburg (N.C.) Library and lay off 148 library workers April 3. The startling March 17 announcement was followed the next day by a library board meeting at which trustees revealed which of the library's 24 locations were slated to be shuttered. Among the libraries listed for closure are several that were recently renovated and a brand-new facility, the Hickory Hills branch, that opened earlier this year. The sudden crisis stems from Mecklenburg County officials scrambling to close a $13.2 million budget gap for the current fiscal year by reducing funds already allocated to county departments; the library is being forced to return $2 million, or 6.3% of its current-year budget, only three months before the June 30 end of the fiscal year"