Becky Nichols isn’t one to complain, but after years of making do, counting pennies and stretching dollars, and “coloring on both sides of the paper,” the director of the Selma Public Library has nearly reached the end of her rope.

The library’s total operating budget has remained unchanged since the present facility was completed in 1995 — despite ever increasing demands on its services.

From 1997 to the present, for example, adult circulation has more than doubled, from 44,222 volumes to 97,814 volumes annually. The number of children’s books checked out has likewise increased from 21,562 to 50,276.

During the same period, the number of patron interactions — that is, the number of times an adult used his or her library card — jumped from 77,282 to 94,349. Usage among children increased from 41,424 to 52,619.

But at the same time that the demand for services has been more than doubling in some categories, the library’s operating budget has remained static at $563,005. City funding, in fact, declined from $265,000 to $235,000 this fiscal year.

Up till now the library has accommodated the increased demand without cutting services. But unless financial relief is forthcoming, Nichols warned, that could change.

The bulk of the library’s budget comes from the city of Selma and Dallas County. When the city reduced its support by $30,000 this year, Nichols made up the shortfall through personally soliciting private and corporate donations.

If funding does not increase for the upcoming fiscal year, Nichols said there is a real possibility that the library will have to cut back in such areas as the purchase of books and materials or, more likely, in operating hours.

Nichols added that for years the library has had plans to begin remaining open at least one or two nights each week as an additional service to its patrons. &uot;We’d have to be crazy to try that now,&uot; she said.

Nichols said she decided to go public in order to make her case for increased funding for the library. &uot;I feel strongly about accountability,&uot; she said. &uot;I believe that when you spend the public’s money you should account for every nickel and dime.&uot;

Nichols called the library one of Selma’s true &uot;success stories,&uot; going back to the community fund-raising drive that helped to pay for construction of the present facility.

Nichols has continued to solicit donations each year, but on a much more low-key basis. Most years, she raises in the neighborhood of $20,000 or less for what she calls &uot;the good stuff&uot; &045; an automated check-out system, computer terminals that link to the Internet and other items that could be considered over and above basic library services.

Said Nichols, &uot;We are a city and county public library, and we are funded by both of those government bodies. I figure the city and county ought to pay for running the library. What I try to do when I solicit donations is to raise money for the good stuff.

Nichols said that since moving into the new facility she has deliberately avoided initiating a major fund-raising campaign to augment the library’s budget.

Now, however, she fears the library is on the brink of having to take an ill-advised step backwards in the services it offers the community.

Nichols said that, as with much of American culture in the 21st Century, the very definition of a public library is evolving.

In addition to just checking out books, the library today also offers meeting space to various organizations, hosts community activities, and conducts adult education classes.