Editorial : First Step to a Library Upgrading : Voters back development of new systemwide plan, but will public foot the bill?

Proposition N on the city of San Diego’s Nov. 6 ballot was one of those no-pain advisory measures that the public could support without digging into its pocket. Placed on the ballot by a council fearful of proposing another bond measure this fall, it asked only whether the city should develop a comprehensive plan to upgrade its library system. Sixty percent of the voters said yes.

Now comes the hard part: Overcoming the city’s historic inertia about modernizing its library system, particularly its Central Library.

Between now and 1992 at the latest, when the plan is to be completed and a bond issue is tentatively scheduled to be placed before voters, the city must pick a site for the new library, decide what kind of a facility it wants and figure out how to fund the project--as well as improvements to the rest of the system.

None of the reasons for replacing the disgraceful Central Library have changed in the seven years since the Board of Library Commissioners said that something must be done.

When compared with libraries in similarly-sized U.S. cities, the E Street facility ranks near the bottom in most respects. It is aging, understaffed and too small to house all its resources. Pipes leak and the heating and air conditioning break down.

Systemwide, the city spends less than half the amount that San Francisco devotes to books and other materials, despite having 20,000 more registered borrowers.

San Diego’s overall budget is millions of dollars less than budgets for library systems in most cities this size.

Branch libraries in San Diego’s older neighborhoods are small and inadequate.

Unlike the newer areas of the city, where developers are building spacious, modern libraries as part of agreements to construct major housing projects, older areas have less chance for renovation or replacement.

Historically, suggested sites for the new Central Library have all been downtown: the Community Concourse, the eastern end of downtown, and now Lane Field. But a poll conducted this summer for the Proposition N campaign committee indicates that most voters want the library in Mission Valley.

That notion is worth considering, because a non-downtown site would be closer to a greater number of San Diegans and would allow for more parking.

Further, only 43% of the respondents believe a new Central Library is needed at all.

We believe a new library is essential. But officials estimate that, even if it is built on city-owned land, it would cost at least $80 million.

Remember, two-thirds of voters must approve a bond issue for a new library. Proposition N, which recommended only a plan , didn’t earn that margin of approval.

The passage of Proposition N and the plan that will result should be a catalyst for progress on the library- system upgrading.

Like other improvements that the city has neglected, this one will only become more expensive as time goes by.