A Story of Success at Ojai Library

Anyone visiting the Ojai Library on a typical afternoon this fall, when it bustles with young people doing homework at a new computer or studying with volunteer tutors, might find it hard to believe that less than two years ago this vital community resource was on life support.

Like most libraries in Ventura County, ours had struggled to survive as state and county funding eroded. Hours, book budgets and personnel had been cut to the bone. The notion of moving into the 21st century with electronic tools was like dreaming of cake when no one had bread.

Today, we’re looking toward the future with renewed hope. This reversal of fortune is basically a story about the power of partnerships. Our successes in Ojai have been modest, but the partnership story may be helpful to others wanting to improve essential community services in the face of growing needs and shrinking budgets.

The first partnership to breathe new life into the Ojai Library was struck between the library and voters, who overwhelmingly approved a library parcel tax in 1996. This measure now brings in about $120,000 a year, enabling us to expand hours, buy books and ride out the ups and downs of government funding, which is still our revenue backbone.

Shortly before passage of the tax, a group of local activists formed the Ojai Valley Library Foundation, a nonprofit private organization whose goal is to supplement tax dollars through public-private partnerships that generate grants, contributions and other support.

Our earliest corporate alliance was with the First Interstate Bank of California Foundation, which awarded us $20,000 to launch an innovative program called the SchooLinks Homework Center. The first program of its kind in Ventura County, the center offers students after-school homework and tutorial assistance and gets them in closer touch with the library’s print and electronic research tools, including the Internet.

Encouraged by that grant (which gave us credibility with other potential givers), we went after more prospects. We struck out at times, but sometimes we scored. (Fund-raising is not for those who fear rejection.) The ARCO Foundation came through with $5,000 in two years. Contributions also came in from the Ojai Valley Friends of the Library, the Ojai Rotary Club-West and other community groups. Individual residents also responded generously.

Success breeds success. The popularity of the Homework Center and the Library Foundation’s partnership-building capabilities have led to grant money from the state for two new programs.

And just last month, the Ventura County Library Services Agency received a $46,000 government grant to expand the Homework Center program to nearby Oak View and Meiners Oaks libraries. In all, $84,000 in grants and contributions has come our way in less than two years--a good start, although it amounts only to $8 per year per Ojai public school student.

Foundation members have pursued grants doggedly to help our library do a better job, building alliances in both the private and public sectors and among individuals and organizations. Creating and nurturing these partnerships takes initiative, ingenuity and sweat, but the payoff is as tangible as the books and computers that propel young lives toward new frontiers.