Librarians Learning How to Speak Up for Funding

Forget about your meek and mild local librarian. With public library funding being cut from all quarters, librarians are turning tough.

“Of course everyone loves libraries,” said Dallas Shaffer, director of the Monterey County Free Library System, who was in Ventura on Friday to teach about 50 local librarians and volunteers how to play political hardball. “The problem is that libraries can’t live on love alone.”

The workshop is one of several sponsored by a pro-library consortium up and down the central coast in response to cuts by city, county and state agencies.

“It’s a question of survival now,” said Anne Turner, a workshop leader and director of the Santa Cruz library system. “We have to shake people out of their complacency and belief that libraries will always be there.”

At this rate, she said, they won’t.

Ventura County’s 16-branch system has lost about 40% of its budget over the last three years to about $5.8 million this fiscal year.

A November ballot measure that would have imposed a $35 tax per parcel to support libraries in Ventura was supported by most voters--53%--but fell short of the required two-thirds majority. A similar measure in Ojai nearly passed, receiving 64% of votes, and is back on the March 26 ballot. Camarillo voters will also have a library parcel tax on the March ballot.

County Supervisor Frank Schillo will ask the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to provide $140,000 to keep open six small libraries set to close in March. The Avenue, El Rio, Meiners Oaks, Oak Park, Oak View and Saticoy branches could then stay open through June.

The extra three months will give cities time to either embrace a new federation or reject it, he said.

Under Schillo’s proposed federation, the seven cities in the county system could take over control of branches there. Six libraries in unincorporated areas would remain in a smaller county system. The library federation would purchase books and supplies for its members.

Critics, however, say the proposal is a quick fix that does not address larger money problems.

Schillo and other county officials are scheduled to meet with Gov. Pete Wilson on Feb. 22 to discuss increasing library budgets. State legislators from the county will host a second meeting Feb. 23 to hear residents’ ideas for supporting libraries, Schillo said.