Libraries Stave Off Closure, for Now

Accepting $115,000 from the state, Ventura County’s supervisors on Tuesday granted a temporary reprieve to seven of the county’s smaller library branches that were slated for closure at the end of this month.

The supervisors approved the grant from the California State Library to keep open the neighborhood branches until June 30, the end of the fiscal year.

After that, it is unclear if the county will be able to maintain even limited hours of small neighborhood libraries in the communities of Meiners Oaks, Oak Park, Oak View, Piru, Saticoy, El Rio and on Ventura Avenue in west Ventura.

“What we have here is a Band-Aid and there is no guarantee that the funding will continue,” said Dixie D. Adeniran, director of the county’s library services.

“I’m pleased that we have the money to keep the libraries open,” Supervisor Maggie Kildee said.

But she said she was worried that, by staving off closures of the neighborhood branches, the county was sending a mixed message to voters in communities that have library tax measures on the ballot March 26.

Supervisor Frank Schillo urged voters to support these local library tax measures, emphasizing that the state grant is only a temporary solution.