Effingham County officially ends 80-year partnership with Live Oak public library

EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Wednesday night, the Effingham County Library Board met to finalize the end of its partnership with Live Oak Public Libraries.

Just last month the county commission voted to allow the library board to run its own library independently from Live Oak.

Effingham County commissioners and the library board both said that financially it didn’t make sense to continue the partnership.

They say ending the partnership drops the library administration costs by more than $350,000.

However, county leaders say the community will still have access to a library.

Wednesday, the board voted to combine with a regional partner in Bulloch County.

It was a heated debate among Effingham residents on Wednesday after the Effingham County Library Board voted unanimously to end a decades-long partnership with Live Oak Public Libraries.

Joanna Cartrette sits on the Effingham County Library board says this decision had one motivating factor— money, and how it was being spent.

“A lot of differences showed up how libraries were actually being funded, what the budget looked like, how much was in administrative cost, and what services were being purchased,” said Cartrette.

Cartrette says much of the budget for the library will remain the same.

But instead of paying nearly $400,000 in admin costs through Live Oak, They overall admin cost would payout closer to $50,000. They say they will be able to put that money back into the library.

“We just feel as if this is a better way for how Effingham grows,” said Cartrette.

But not everyone in the county shares that opinion. Those who opposed the change say they feels as if the decision wasn’t fully vetted and the plan seems flimsy.

“They keep touting that this is to save money but then we find out that the budget will still be the same,” said Lindsey Hoffman, Library patron. “It just feels like a very big change for no real benefit and some pretty bad possible changes.”

According to Live Oak, this withdrawal means 93% of the books and materials in the current collection will be removed as well as 90% of the technology, including computers, printers and hotspots.

But at Wednesday night’s meeting, the board stated there were terms in the Live Oak agreement that would address materials that were paid for by government funding to stay in the county.

Live Oak Public Libraries says it is looking forward to an orderly and expeditious transition.

And the separation will take place on June 30, 2026.