MONROE - Two Lafayette County libraries in the Times coverage area received poor marks in a state audit by the Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) released last month.

All 388 of the state's public libraries were ranked in four major categories: hours open per week, staff levels, amount spent on materials and collection size.

In 2005, the state Department of Public Instruction issued service standards to help local libraries plan for future activities and assess their performance relative to all public libraries in Wisconsin.

The LAB is required to conduct reviews to identify local government practices that can save costs or provide for more effective service delivery to customers.

Argyle Public Library was one of 32 libraries in the state that offered "Below Basic" levels of service in all four categories.

Jacqueline Whitmar has been the library director in Argyle for 40 years. She takes issue with the state's audit.

"It's so easy for these people to sit down, look at figures and say, 'OK, the library is not worth the money that's being put into it,'" Whitmar said. "Until they come and talk to the people who use the library, I take exception to the audit.

"I really don't give a damn what the state says," Whitmar continued. "The state's not paying for the library and they don't give me money to run it."

Whitmar said the village gives her $15,000 a year to run the library. She said it's hard to spend thousands of dollars on new equipment, books, magazines, videos and DVDs, while still paying wages to herself (she's part-time) and any other help.

"There's only so much money to be spent," Whitmar said.

Johnson Public Library in Darlington also received poor marks. The library ranked "Below Basic" in hours open per week, staff levels and amount spent on materials. Its collection size scored "Basic."

The rankings don't alarm Director Nita Burke, who took over about six months ago.

"It's unfair because we just had a transition," Burke said. "I run the library as a business, but any time there's a transition in management, it's difficult."

Burke sees her library as serving an expanding area. She said libraries in general are experiencing a resurgence, given the state of the economy.

"Libraries are becoming more popular because of the recession," Burke said. "People want to check out books because our landfills are getting filled with books."

Memorial Public Library in Brodhead received the highest rankings in the area, scoring "Excellent" in collection size and "Enhanced" in the other three categories.

"We are aware we're a good little library for our population," Director Gloria Rosa said.

Five other libraries in the Times readership area received mixed rankings.