Our Best Bargain--Yet Budgets Are Being Cut : Libraries take only 1% of the nation’s tax dollars and are used by 60% of adults. But hours are being reduced and the inventory of education and pleasure is shrinking.

America’s libraries have been called the greatest gift the American people have ever given themselves. They are also the greatest bargain, taking only 1% of the nation’s tax dollars and used by 60% of all adults.

Unfortunately, bargain or not, libraries, whose open doors have provided so much free learning, are failing badly in the recession.

Look at the Valley, home to 19 city and county public libraries. Last year they checked out more than 4 million books and other items. Business has never been better. But the budgets have never been worse.

The Los Angeles Public Library had to reduce the public hours in its 17 Valley branches a total of 93 hours a week. Any more cuts and some branches will close. The county public library is facing even harder times. It projects budget cuts of 25%, if it is lucky.

Of course, public libraries are not the only ones to suffer. The university library of Cal State Northridge has taken a 17% budget cut and faces another cut in July.

What do the cuts mean to you? For one thing, don’t try to do your research on a Tuesday or Thursday night at the West Valley Regional Branch. That popular location had to close those nights.

Want to read your favorite magazine on a Monday at the much-loved San Fernando Library? Think again. San Fernando is no longer open on Mondays, and its budget for magazines was cut 50%.

Now, while you personally might not be able to provide funds to rescue our libraries, you can help. Here’s how.

* Bring political pressure. Write to your City Council, the county Board of Supervisors or the Legislature and tell them why you need libraries. Don’t stop at letters. Go to budget hearings and testify. Call officials on the phone and visit their offices. If enough people make an effort, libraries will have a happier fate.

* Remember President Clinton in your petitions. The federal government provides only $175 million a year to help support more than 100,000 U. S. libraries. One stealth bomber costs $500 million. Federal support for libraries could disappear if the President is not aware of your priorities.

* Donate money. Give any amount to your local library without strings attached. Modest donations by even a small proportion of the patrons could have a big impact. The West Valley Regional Library, for instance, has 34,000 cardholders and spends about $119,000 a year on books and periodicals, about $3.50 per user.

* Go to a book, video or compact-disc store, buy a best-seller and donate it to the library. Better yet, ask the librarians what they want and get it for them. See if shops will give discounts for gifts to libraries.

* Buy the library a magazine or newspaper subscription. If you really want to help, buy a subscription for several years.

* Join Friends of the Library. These groups raise money through book sales and other activities. Being active in Friends helps your library and is also a great way to meet nice people.

* Volunteer. Keep the books in order on the shelves. Assist with children’s programming. Repair books--they’ll teach you. A volunteer can perform many money-saving tasks. If you volunteer, show up regularly. People are counting on you.

* Donate your own books, CDs and videos that can be added to the library’s collection or sold for book money. Don’t be hurt if the library needs the money more than the book. A lot of gift books would have too few readers to justify the cost of processing and shelving them. Pack the books in a clean carton. Old boxes from your garage can have pests that will cost the library exterminator fees.

* Urge everyone to return books and other items on time. The loss of unreturned books costs libraries millions of dollars nationwide. Sending out overdue notices is expensive.

* Teach kids to respect the library’s materials. It costs money to replace damaged books and missing pages.

* Encourage everyone to respect the library building. The money to pay for graffiti removal, upholstery stains and messy bathrooms comes from your library’s budget.

* Give other gifts. Libraries appreciate office chairs, computers, supplies, plants, etc. Ask what they need.

* Vote for for anything that helps libraries. Support prevention rather than cure. Libraries are part of the solution to society’s ills.

Supporting libraries is part of a greater vision we need for our society. At a time when illiteracy rates and educational test scores are a national disgrace, we should do all we can to get everyone into our libraries to read and learn. An investment in libraries is a guarantee of our nation’s future. Thomas Jefferson said it best: “The success of our democracy lies in our ability to educate the common man.”