Libraries Compete for Scarce Funding

Jill Patterson follows a morning routine when she opens La Habra Library: She unlocks the door and quickly gets out of the way.

That’s when a crowd of patrons rushes in for first crack at the library’s six computers. Those who are too late, or are muscled out, must wait as long as an hour for a turn.

“They know to walk. If they don’t walk, I won’t let them on a terminal,” said Patterson, who manages the library. “I don’t want them injured.”

The morning rush illustrates the library’s need for more computers. But even if she could afford them, Patterson wouldn’t have the room. Built in 1966, the library has squeezed so many bookshelves into its cramped building that a wheelchair cannot fit in its narrow aisles.

That’s why the city plans to apply for $4.2 million from a state library bond next year for expansion and renovation of the library.

But with libraries around the state competing for a limited pot of money, the city’s chances are far from good.

“It’s a dream,” Patterson said. “I know how competitive it is.... But I know how great our need is.”

Many librarians had that dream when California voters approved a $350-million library construction bond in 2000. Three years later, local and state officials say they now realize the funding did not come close to meeting the state’s needs. In the last two years, a committee reviewing the applications has funded just 34 of 127 eligible requests.

“It’s extremely difficult. I don’t think there’s a project that came in here that wasn’t a viable and needed project,” said Richard Hall, manager of bond construction for the California State Library.

“It’s a little bit like having to cut off eight of your 10 fingers to make a decision who gets funded and who doesn’t.”

Under the voter-approved initiative, the state pays 65% of construction costs, with local government agencies responsible for the remainder. New libraries and renovation projects are eligible. Hall said, however, that libraries have requested up to five times as much money as the state has to give. Officials awarded $149 million in 2002 and $108 million this year; about $90 million is available next year.

Cities that have been awarded construction grants include Los Angeles, which is building a library in the Harbor City area; San Diego; Alameda; Temecula; and San Mateo. In Orange County, city libraries in Newport Beach, Anaheim and Orange have received funding the first year.

Like most around the state, however, none of the 24 cities that are part of the Orange County Public Library system has seen any money. Officials in three cities -- Tustin, La Habra and Dana Point -- say they plan to apply for the final batch of construction money next year, which promises to be the most competitive year yet.

Officials expect more applications, including some from cities that failed to win grants in the previous two rounds, with less money to distribute. And the state’s budget crisis means it might be difficult for library officials to persuade voters or state lawmakers to approve another bond any time soon.

“There’s nothing we hear about additional bond measures. If that money is not available, it would be very difficult to do the project at all,” said La Habra City Manager Brad Bridenbecker. “My guess is it would be some time before they do that again.”

Need is one of several areas considered by the committee reviewing the applications, Hall said. The bond act requires the committee to consider several factors, including the inadequacy of the current library, its age and condition, and population growth in the area.

Tustin officials say they have a strong case for a proposed 32,000-square-foot downtown library that would be more than twice the size of the current facility. They will ask the state to approve an $11-million grant with the city picking up an additional $6 million, officials said.

The current library is too small, has no separate children’s section and is more than 25 years old, said Tustin Mayor Tracy Worley Hagen, who has been advocating for a new library building for several years. The city applied for funding under the state bond in 2002 but was bypassed.

This time, Tustin officials say, they hope things will be different.

“The facility is busting out at the seams,” said Tustin Assistant City Manager Christine A. Shingleton. “No matter what happens, this is one of the city’s No. 1 priorities.”

Hall said he knows a number of city and county libraries will be disappointed when the winners are announced next year. He said some cities can take solace in the example set by Frazier Park library in Kern County. The county applied for funding in the previous library construction bond act of 1988 but did not prevail. It applied again in 2002 but failed to win state funding. In October, Kern County won the grant it needed to replace its 1,200-square-foot leased library building, a project 15 years in the making.

Although there has been movement in Sacramento for additional library funding, the remaining $90 million for construction might be the last the state makes available for some time.

“This is certainly the last chance for this bond act,” Hall said. “I’ve been around state government long enough to know there’s cycles we go through. There may be a positive cycle again.”