NORTON - Library officials will have five minutes on Thursday to state their case for preserving the Norton Public Library's state certification.

Board of Library Directors President Herbert Ellison will seek a waiver during the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners' January meeting, at 10 a.m. at the Newton Public Library.

State board Director Robert Maier said Monday that the commissioners will vote Feb. 12 in their Boston office. Municipalities denied waivers may appeal at the state board's March meeting, he said.

Ellison said a waiver would preserve Norton's inter-library loan privileges to other communities, which otherwise will end after that February ruling.

Town Manager James Purcell said the library also would get $28,436 in state aid available only with certification. Ellison said it was unclear what the funds would support. Ellison said he expects to stress Thursday that this is Norton's first waiver request. The waiver is being sought because voters at annual town meeting last May cut the library's town funding by 35 percent.

Ellison also will discuss how the library has reacted to the cut, including reducing its hours and staff on July 1.

"We need the waiver because we don't meet the requirements that the state has established," he said.

Library officials filed supporting documents with the state board in November, he said. They also provided a document from the town showing the budget cuts to other departments.

Maier said Norton is among 29 municipalities requesting waivers this year.

The figure is slightly up from last year. However, two or three of those have since closed their budget gaps.

The state board granted about 18 waivers last year, Maier said.

The record for waivers granted is 65, in fiscal year 2004, "really the last difficult fiscal year," he said.

Ellison said he was unfamiliar with the appeal process.

If denied a waiver, the Norton library board would decide its response based on the reason for rejection. The Norton board could opt not to appeal, and then weave not getting a waiver into a waiver request next year, Ellison said.

"We're not going to meet the state requirements for 2010, according to what I've been told," he said.

MICHAEL GELBWASSER can be reached at 508-236-0439 or at mgelbwasser@thesunchronicle.com.