The state's budget crisis is threatening services at Niles, Park Ridge, Morton Grove and other local libraries. If you've grown accustomed to checking out a book at one library and dropping it off at another, you may not be able to do so much longer.

If you're trying to get a copy of a hot book or movie, you can currently check the online catalog of the dozens of libraries in the North Suburban Library System, and any of its 49 member libraries will be happy to send you a copy if they have it on the shelf.

But that service may end as early as this week, because the state of Illinois, in its budget crisis, does not have the cash on hand to pay the bills of the Illinois State Library, which funds the state's 10 library systems, such as the North Suburban Library System in the North and Northwest suburbs, the DuPage Library System and the Prairie State Library System, which operates in parts of Will County.

The library systems, in turn, pay for the vans that drives between their member libraries delivering the inter-library loans and the books and movies patrons returned to other libraries.

Library patrons use this service heavily. The Niles Library, for example, sends out about 5,000 items (books or audio-visual materials) per month, and receives about 5,000 items per month, said Director Linda Weiss.

Illinois State Library Director Anne Craig said that the state appropriated money for it to provide to the library systems, but that the money has just not come in.

The Illinois State Library is part of Secretary of State Jesse White's office.

“Revenues have fallen far short of appropriations, and consequently, there's no money in the (state's) account to pay the bills,” said Craig.

The state library, which is a small entity within state government, has $24 million in vouchers it is waiting to pay. The entire state owes $4.5 billion to various creditors, she said, adding more information can be found at the website of Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes, http://www.ioc.state.il.us/.

Locally, Barb Kruser, assistant director of the Niles Public Library, said the situation is changing almost daily. A flurry of phone calls and emails is going back and forth among local library directors to see if they can arrange van delivery service among a few libraries in the area.

“It isn't affecting our budget, but it is affecting a service we offer to our patrons,” Kruser said.

The state budget cuts are not affecting local libraries' collections or acquisitions, she said. Those monies come from local sources, not the state.

The North Suburban library system is laying off all its staff as of May 31, and Craig said she did not know yet if the system will be able to continue any of its many functions, which include professional development and training for librarians as well as services to increase efficiency and reduce duplication among libraries.

“I don't have answers yet, but we are working with library systems to provide services we believe are of value. Secretary White has a commitment to support basic services,” Craig said.

Locally, Kruser said the library is asking patrons to return Niles Library books to the Niles Library.

“For the next three months, things will run as normal, but no one knows what will happen after that,” she said. “What all the libraries are thinking right now is, 'How can we least affect the patrons?'”

Weiss, the Niles Library director, said that libraries may have to rethink their acquisition strategies if van pickup is curtailed.

“There are 49 libraries in the North Suburban Library System, so there are a wealth of materials we don't have to keep here because our neighbors might have them,” she said.

Without ready access to pickup and dropoff service, however, each library would have to depend on its own collection to a greater degree.