Crisis for Intellectual Oases

Not every teen-ager longs to spend each summer hour at the mall, on an athletic court or at the beach. Some actually find cool respite in the local library, a place where they can travel the world without leaving their neighborhood. The libraries are especially important to poor children; for them, the local branch may be the only way, outside of school, to find a dictionary, encyclopedias or a quiet place to study.

For senior citizens on fixed incomes, there are times when even the discount bookstores put too much of a dent in the monthly budget. They can find the same titles at the library, as well as a safe place in which to read them. Folks who are out of work and money can pursue their search for a job through the resources in the local branch.

The possibility exists, however, that the ability of California libraries to meet these needs will be curtailed in an unprecedented way. Deep budget cuts have forced librarians around the state to decimate staffs, shrink operating hours and slash book-buying budgets.

Book and periodical purchasing, for example, is down 30% in the county systems, where the libraries must compete with other county agencies for money. Matters will only get worse if the governor’s budget proposal to shift $2.6 billion in property tax funds from local governments to the schools goes through.

The libraries require assistance and generosity in terms of donations, gifts and volunteered time as never before. Already, an avid reader surviving on disability benefits is one source of major periodicals for an L.A. County library branch. Eight library branches have already closed in the county and dozens of the remaining 85 are in jeopardy. All eight Pasadena branch libraries could close, and there have been purchase reductions of more than 50% in Los Angeles and Pasadena.

Buckets for spare change have been set out on reference desks by Fresno County librarians seeking donations to buy new books. San Benito and Shasta counties could find themselves with no public libraries.

That is a deeply disturbing prospect, particularly because the libraries have always been places where people’s dreams take shape and gather substance. Helping prevent the loss of that is a task well worth undertaking.