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Ventura to Spend $65,000 on 2 Libraries

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The Ventura City Council on Monday night approved spending $65,000 to buy more books and materials for two of Ventura’s cash-strapped libraries.

The money is the second payment from a $270,000 fund that the city authorized in June to supplement the sharply shrinking county library budget.

Library funding in Ventura County has been drastically reduced in recent years, forcing sharp cutbacks in library hours and book acquisitions.

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The county’s 1996-97 book budget is only $67,200, of which the city of Ventura will receive 38%, or about $25,500.

The money from the county and the city will add supplies to the E.P. Foster and H.P. Wright libraries. About 4% of the city’s payment will be used to buy book jackets, security strips and labels.

None of the funding will go to the Avenue Library in western Ventura because the city spent $100,000 in June to keep it open. Of that amount, $15,000 was spent to purchase new books.

The city is conducting a study to determine what residents expect from their libraries. A consultant has met with individuals and focus groups in recent weeks to talk about the role libraries should play in the community.

The city has scheduled a public meeting about libraries on Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 501 Poli St.

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