This makes me realize how lucky I am to be in Montgomery County, MD. The public library I work in (Germantown) is currently in the process of moving to a brand-new building, more than twice as big as the space we've been using. Our county system has 21 branches (plus one at the county detention facility), all of which are heavily used. At our branch alone, we routinely get 2000 or more people through the door every day in the summer (because of required summer reading programs mandated by the schools), and only slightly less the rest of the year.
I can't imagine our libraries shutting down for lack of funding -- although we have had our periods of cutbacks, with reduced staffing, reduced materials budgets, and, yes, reduced hours. The reduced hours are the only thing the public notices, though the other measures have very serious effects as well.
Libraries are tremendously important in any community, and when economic times are bad, library use goes up. Not only do libraries provide recreational reading and practical how-to-do-it information for those who can't afford to buy books, they also provide language-learning materials for new Americans, job-search helps like books on writing resumes, homework support for students at all levels, and -- tremendously important -- storytimes, picture books, and a friendly atmosphere to introduce reading and literature to very young children.
I sure hope Jackson County, OR, finds a way -- soon! -- to bring back library service to residents there.