SIMI VALLEY : Library Support Group Seeks Funds

The Simi Valley Friends of the Library is trying to pick up where slashed county funding left off with a campaign to raise $75,000 for new books, magazines, newspapers and educational programs in the coming year.

That’s how much the county used to spend each year on new materials for the Simi Valley Library, said Bob Lipman, president of the nonprofit group. But budget cuts by the County Board of Supervisors two years ago gutted funding for county libraries, and the Friends of the Library could only raise about $18,000 on its own from used-book sales, he said.

So the group will try to mail flyers to every resident and business in Simi Valley by the end of 1996, asking for donations to raise $75,000.

Especially troubling are subscriptions that expire, reference books and technical texts that quickly turn out-of-date and children’s programs that have been severely limited by the budget cuts, Supervising Librarian Dale Redfield said.

As for the children’s programs, “It’s really been kind of a shame,” she said. “It would be nice to have a business or philanthropic group or local organization adopt the children’s area, even to have volunteers in there to help the kids or keep an eye on them.”

While the library needs steady infusions of cash to keep its collections of reference, fiction and periodicals up to date, it also could use some new computers to handle the growing demand for Internet access, Lipman said.

Tax-deductible donation checks should be made out to Simi Valley Friends of the Library and mailed to or dropped off at the Simi Valley Library, 2969 Tapo Canyon Road, Simi Valley 93063.

For more information, call Bob Lipman at 581-2686, or Keith Jajko in Supervisor Judy Mikels’ office at 582-8010.