It's no surprise that libraries in "LJ"'s annual budget survey reported an overall downward trend, with the expected decline in total budgets some 2.6% and the change in materials budgets 3.5%. Per capita funding is nudging down after years of steady if sometimes modest increases, with a projected decline of 1.6% in FY10. After all, the country has not emerged from a major economic downturn, and libraries--especially those lacking a dedicated funding stream--are particularly vulnerable to budget cutbacks and declining property values. Library service has been chipped away; not only have materials taken a hit, but open hours have gone down on average 1.3 hours over the past year, and programming has declined. As many libraries are hit by gloomy times, they're challenged to offer less and work differently. Libraries and their leaders have come up with creative responses regarding spending and fundraising and have used staff differently. This year's budget survey asked for more narrative responses regarding strategies, services, and outlook. Asked which strategy offers lessons for other libraries, respondents gave a variety of answers.