Riverside library may close Benton branch

The library is exploring whether Scott County would be better served with a library in Miner.

BENTON, Mo. -- Benton residents are concerned about how much longer their branch of Riverside Regional Library is going to be open.

The library is exploring whether to open a new branch in Miner, which would require closing one of the existing branches in Scott County, said Nancy Howland, the regional library's director.

Riverside Regional Library currently pays the Sikeston Public Library $15,000 a year so that people who live in Riverside's district can use the Sikeston library. Those people pay taxes to help support Riverside. Howland said the district wants to ensure that the relatively higher concentration of population in southern Scott County is being served.

Howland said Riverside is doing a feasibility study to determine if a new branch is needed in Miner or somewhere else in southern Scott County and which branch may need to close.

The Benton branch is eight miles from Oran and nine miles from Scott City, sites of the other Riverside library branches in Scott County. Its location between the other two sites is why Benton is considered the prime target for closing.

Missy Jones, who checks out books at the Benton library about five times a month, said she would really miss the library if it closed.

The library "is very convenient, and we wouldn't drive," she said. "We would just do without."

Howland said population, number of checkouts and location all will be factors in deciding which branch to close if Riverside decides to open a branch in Miner.

"We need to serve the people in southern Scott County, and we're actively going toward that purpose, which may in fact mean closing one of the branches in northern Scott County, which is not very popular," she said.

"... They provide a wonderful service, I know, and nobody wants to shut down Benton, but if we open a branch in Miner there is no financial way to have four libraries open," Howland said.

Riverside received $247,000 in library taxes from Scott County in 2004. The expenses for operating the branches in Scott County in 2004 were $293,000. The other $46,000 came from Cape Girardeau County and Perry County taxes.

The Scott County Library Board is trying to gauge the level of interest in Riverside service in Scott County. The board has also looked at some properties that would house the possible library, including one in the Sikeston Outlet Mall.