Library Officials Fear ‘Devastating’ Cuts

A proposal to slash $1.6 million from an already diminished county libraries budget has officials worried that they may no longer be able to provide even the minimal service and restricted hours now offered.

County Chief Administrative Officer Richard Wittenberg has recommended that Ventura County supervisors cut a $1.6-million grant from the Library Services Agency budget to help offset a $16-million budget shortfall countywide.

The library’s current $6.5-million budget has already been cut by one-third from the 1991 spending plan of $10.1 million, said Library Services Agency Director Dixie D. Adeniran.

“If that (additional $1.6 million) were subtracted, we would be at less than half of the funding that we were at three years ago,” she said. “And that would be very devastating.”

The budget-cutting recommendation, to be considered today, comes just as three communities are scheduled to donate more than $12,000 to keep their branch libraries open more hours each week.

Under a proposal that also will be considered today, the communities of Meiners Oaks, Ojai and Camarillo would donate more than $12,000 to add two to three hours a week to the individual library schedules.

If approved by the board, the Soroptimist International of Camarillo would donate $6,000 to keep the Camarillo branch library open an extra two hours each week.

The Meiners Oaks Lions Club would donate $600 to keep that library office open for three hours on Monday mornings through August, and the city of Ojai and the Ojai Valley Friends of the Library would donate a total of $5,490 to keep the downtown Ojai library open up to 46 hours a week through Sept. 3.

Adeniran said she hopes the Board of Supervisors will find somewhere else to cut to offset its shortfall.