Don't fall for it. Every time there is pressure to cut costs, liberals threaten to cut the most visible and essential of services (fire dept, paramedics etc .. even local libraries). There is a lot of bureaucratic waste out there that they could easily cut but won't.
Public libraries help ensure that there is no excuse for individual ignorance. Ignorance becomes wilful, and its fruit fully deserved.
That said, their *core* mandate is not very expensive to fulfill, and it is the slate of extraneous activities behind budget problems (not all - many additional activities incur no cost, as the material is donated and/or time is volunteered).
In some cities, library budgets are shockingly low, most of the people keeping the libraries running are volunteers, much of each collection is sourced from donations of books and money, much of the computer hardware (and maintenance) is donated, etc. It varies substantially from municipality to municipality (which is how it should be, instead of national or state centralization).
I have witnessed the skimming-type behavior you cite, and it also pisses me off.
A couple of points about the library:
Check it out, you will find that the majority of their books are slandering to christianity, vile, and glorify liberal points of view.
Very little material useful for education is available.
The librarians are usually liberal types who disdain anything else.
Politicians always cut funding first on ‘sacred’ programs so they can spin the issue.