Library Revamping May Curb Children’s Services

A long-awaited library reorganization that promises to save money and increase hours may have the unintended side effect of eliminating Ventura County’s best and most devoted children’s librarians, activists warn.

Although the county’s radical restructuring plan was intended to improve children and youth services at libraries across the county, it may do just the opposite, said George Berg of Save Our Libraries, an advocacy group.

“It guarantees that no one with children’s librarian experience will end up in a children’s librarian spot,” Berg said Monday.

Last month the Board of Supervisors approved a plan to reduce library staffing by 15 positions, essentially cutting 34 of the agency’s 67 full-time positions and creating 19 slightly different jobs.

Initially based on job skills, the plan was amended after negotiations with the Service Employees International Union to emphasize seniority.

The money saved--at least $225,000--will allow the county to buy new books and equipment and keep the larger libraries in the 15-branch system open longer, without exceeding the agency’s $5.8-million annual budget.

But it appears the county will lose its most experienced children’s librarians in the process, because 15 of the 19 new positions will be automatically filled through seniority.

The five current youth librarians are listed in a lower job level, which means they cannot apply for the new, smaller pot of jobs.

As a result, some library activists are concerned that unqualified people are going to wind up serving as youth librarians--people who don’t know what children want to read or how to reach them.

“We basically feel the public interest is not being served with the reorganization plan,” said Ojai library activist Nita Whaley. “Not everyone is inherently suited for children’s libraries.

“Let’s face it,” Whaley added. “A lot of people go into library science because they have no people skills.”

Jean Marshall, who did storytelling and creative drama at libraries around the county for 13 years, was so concerned that she attended the Ventura Library Advisory Group meeting last Wednesday to speak her mind.

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“None of the four librarians who are trained, organized and interested in children will even be eligible,” she said Monday. “Instead they will put reference librarians in there. And one wonders if reference librarians whose life is digging out facts and doing research will like working with children.”

Interim Library Services Administrator Richard Rowe said the county is forced to abide by personnel rules when filling the spots, and that means assigning jobs by seniority.

But he said that does not necessarily mean the people who fill the children’s librarian positions are unqualified.

“People who are with the agency who do not have any experience may have had that experience in the past,” he said.

Library advocates also point out there is no money in the county’s current restructuring plan to train the new youth librarians on the nuances of dealing with and catering to children.

Rowe acknowledges as much, but said there may be in-service training available.

At E.P. Foster Library in downtown Ventura on Monday afternoon, 3-year-old Hannah Erickson sat flipping through books in the children’s section, stuffing her favorites into a blue knapsack.

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Her father, John, sat with her. They are regulars, he said.

He had not heard about the effect of the reorganization plan on children’s librarians, but he was not surprised.

“That’s typical,” he said.

Berg said he is especially concerned about the situation because many elementary schools in Ventura County don’t have libraries. This means county libraries serve as an important outlet for children who want to learn about something or need help with their schoolwork, he said.

Ultimately, he said, the problem is that children are being left out of the equation.

“What we’d really like to see is recognition that this is an important issue for the whole community,” Berg said. “And the community needs to be considered--not just the library administration and the union.”