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The Truckee Library on Levon Street. |
CommentsReading Between the Lines
Nevada County Libraries in Crisis
By Beth IngallsPublished: November 22, 2009
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Staring at a $400,000 decline in the tax revenue used to fund the Nevada County Libraries and seeking solutions for long-term sustainability, the Board of Supervisors voted Oct. 13 to request proposals for outside management services. Under such a scenario, the county would still control the assets, maintain oversight of the system and retain the County Librarian position, but a private contractor would be paid to manage all library operations and staff. The board’s action has sparked strong feelings from library advocates and the general public across the county and in Truckee as well.
“We’re looking at ways to stop the bleeding and time is not our friend here,” Fifth District Supervisor Ted Owens remarked in a recent phone interview. “The board would be remiss if we didn’t look at all options available to us. A contract for services is one option. Is it a viable way to go? We can’t know that until we look at the proposals we receive. I’m as curious as everyone else about what comes back to the board.”
This year’s operating budget to maintain the existing level of service for Nevada County libraries is $2.4 million. The system is comprised of the main Madelyn Helling Library in Nevada City, the Truckee Library, the Royce Branch in Grass Valley, two small satellite stations in Penn Valley and Grass Valley and the Doris Foley Library for Historical Research, also in Nevada City.
Funding comes through a combination of county general fund dollars and sales tax revenue from Measure C, a voter-approved library bond, both of which have taken huge hits due to the economic decline. It’s not clear how much could be saved by hiring a management firm until proposals are received. Owens believes savings might be achieved through the economy of scale a management firm could provide. Opponents say the county will save primarily by shedding county-funded library staff and their benefit packages.
Friends of the Truckee Library, a nonprofit advocacy organization, have publicly questioned the financial projections the board is basing their decisions on, but Supervisor Owens firmly refutes their claim. “The numbers are real. We’re in deficit territory and we need to provide a library system that corresponds to the amount of money coming in,” he said.
In September, County Librarian Mary Ann Trygg presented an array of cost-cutting measures to address the known shortfall, which included closing three branches, slashing literacy programs, laying off staff and significantly cutting operating hours for all locations. For the Truckee Library, Trygg’s proposal would mean the loss of two temporary employees, one half-time library assistant and a reduction in operating hours from 40 to 30 per week. The board rejected the bulk of the measures, stressing the importance of libraries and a strong desire to sustain the current level of services for all libraries in the system.
Skeptics are critical of the idea of library outsourcing, citing a number of concerns such as loss of personal customer service and community control of resources, and the fact that one firm, Library Systems & Services (LSSI), holds a monopoly on the library management business. LSSI, with corporate headquarters in Maryland, currently manages 13 public library systems and 63 branch operations across the nation. According to its website, LSSI, which has been in business since 1981, provides innovative solutions and new options for city officials and library professionals to help them “successfully surmount their challenges and create a brighter future for their library.”
Ruth Hall, co-chair of Friends of the Truckee Library and a member of the citizens’ oversight committee for Measure C, doesn’t see anything bright about a future involving a departure from public management of the library. “It’s not easy to think about working with a private corporation. We want to look at what makes the most sense to the community at large,” Hall said. She was surprised by the supervisors’ approval of the request for proposals since it hadn’t been an option discussed previously either by the board or by advocates. Hall wants more time to research other possibilities and hopes a rush decision isn’t made.
Hall added, “we’ve been talking about declining revenues and remedies for some time…declaring this an emergency has put pressure on looking only at this one alternative.”
Proposals for the outside management services are due Nov. 19 and Owens expects any submissions will be reviewed by supervisors at a mid-December meeting.
A “FAQ” page has been posted on mynevadacounty.com. Friends of the Truckee Library have info about the issue on their website, truckeefol.org.
~ Discuss this article with the author. Email bingalls@moonshineink.com.
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