Maybe you could get city leaders or your academic faculty involved in your library before they start talking about cuts or outsourcing:
from Vineland, NJ, comes a story about an "adopt a shelf" volunteer program. Volunteers are being sought to do shelf-reading once a week:
http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20081230/NEWS01/81230003

If you could get the leaders that are responsible for your library's budget involved, maybe they would see the value on the shelves and overhear the good work that the librarians do every day. Maybe you could take it one step further - name a range of shelves for each of your leaders, and highlight the contents in your next newsletter. Example: "On the Mayor's shelf this week, we have added ... to the already stellar collection of ..."
Feed that pride of ownership, folks!