Elizabeth Wiley of Boulder Creek checks out movies and books from clerk Pam Tovik on April 19 at Boulder Creek Library, where supporters are rallying to keep the small branch open despite cuts. Lucjan Szewczyk/Press-Banner
Spearheaded by Boulder Creek resident Elinor Slayer, 500 fliers began circulating through the town this week, advertising the Santa Cruz Public Libraries Joint Powers Board meeting Monday, May 3, when discussion will likely continue about the 2010-11 budget.
“What I’m learning very quickly is … as soon as people stand up for libraries and say this is important, magical things happen,” Slayer said.
The group has dubbed itself Boulder Creek Save Our Libraries and aims to create a buzz while putting pressure on the library board to keep the Boulder Creek branch open.
The new group is separate from the Friends of the Library in Boulder Creek, but organizers have been in communication with that group, Slayer said.
County supervisor and library board member Mark Stone said he wants to keep the San Lorenzo Valley branches open, too, because of the communities they serve.
“If we start closing neighborhood libraries, we are breaking their trust,” Stone said.
Voters have passed two measures in the past 14 years aimed at keeping the county library system healthy. In 1996, voters supported Measure B, which included cash to preserve existing libraries and extend services to underserved parts of the county, such as Felton and Boulder Creek. Then, in 2008, Measure R extended a quarter-cent sales tax that accounts for 49 percent of the libraries’ operating budget.
However, revenue from sales taxes and property taxes has decreased in recent years, leaving libraries in a bind.
The library system has seen its budget shrink from $12.6 million to $11 million this year, and it is forecast to fall $1.4 million short next year.
“I think it would be a real shame to have libraries only in the city and leave large stretches of the unincorporated area of the county (without a library),” Stone said.
Stone noted, however, that the library budget for 2010-11 is being constructed to keep Felton and Boulder Creek open, albeit with severely limited hours.
Still, Felton Library Friends is working to keep that community’s branch open. And in Boulder Creek, the effort continues in full force.
“There has been an overwhelming positive response,” Slayer said. “Nobody wants the library closed.”
At a glance
• WHAT: Santa Cruz Public Libraries Joint Powers Board meeting
• WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 3,
• WHERE: Central Branch Library, 224 Church St., in Santa Cruz
• INFO: www.santacruzpl.org or 420-5600
This is not a coalition - but a grass roots, community effort organized by and for our local Boulder Creek citizens to get involved and share information. This group was created to support all our small Library branches in and around San Lorenzo Valley. We are fighting for their very survival by holding the Library Joint Powers Board (LJPB) accountable to the taxpayers.
Be a part of this Yahoo! Group to join the discussion, stay informed about Library Joint Powers Board (LJPB) meetings, community meetings, and relevant documentation such as flyers, meeting minutes and S.O.L. objectives. This movement will evolve as the wider community joins in the effort to save all our small branches. changing or updating.
HELP US ORGANIZE S.O.L.: Do you have any special networking skills, other ways you'd like to hit the pavement, or perhaps you have a legal-ease you can offer the group - Please let us know!
PLEASE ATTEND:
What: Santa Cruz County Library Joint Powers Board Meeting
When: Monday, June 7th at 6:30pm ** S.O.L. MEETS AT 6PM to ORGANIZE and Q&A **
Where: Central Branch Library, Santa Cruz
What: Santa Cruz County Library Joint Powers Board Meeting
When: Monday, May 3rd at 7:00 *
Where: Central Branch Library, Santa Cruz
* BOULDER CREEK SAVE OUR LIBRARY COALITION MEETS AT 6PM to ORGANIZE and Q&A **
A summary of the Friday, April 30 community meeting (at the Rec Hall) has been posted to a newly created Yahoo! Group and both documents are attached for your reference. The following bullets are to be considered as talking points for the 7pm, May 3 Library Board meeting. We hope you can join us at 6pm and the LJPB meeting starts at 7pm. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scsaveourlibrary/
Key Talking Points:
We want to be part of the SC County Library System.
If unincorporated library branches close, most residents will have to drive over 30 minutes to a regional branch library.
The BC Library serves a 4,000 person population according to Census, but the 95006 zip code serves a 10,000 person population.
Key Questions:
Do Library Board sub-committee meetings have to comply with the Brown Act? Will they be publicly noticed and open to the public?
Where and how are our tax dollars being spent?
What criteria is being used to determine what libraries should be closed?
Why does it cost $126K to operate the BC Library only 12 hours per week?
How does the SCC Library System count membership at each library?
Can space at the BC Library be leased?
Can volunteers help the Library System?
Key Requests of the Library Board:
The Library Board sub-committee must include representation for the unincorporated areas equal to the proportion of unincorporated users.
There must be an equitable distribution of Library System funds. Boulder Creek library is one of 10 branch libraries, but recieves only 1 percent of system funding.
Boulder Creek residents want more open hours at our library. There is not equal access to the library system when other branches have nearly 300-400 percent more hours.
The Library Board should NOT move toward a regional library system. This does not equally serve the Santa Cruz County population. It only serves the cities.
The Library Board should control individual board members presenting potential Library Board policies at their respective local-government council meetings. Mayor Reed has discussed a move toward a regional library system at Scotts Valley City Council Meetings, however this is not the consensus of the Library Board.
The Library Board must evaluate disproportionate environmental justice impacts on low income populations of potential closure of smaller unincorporated branches.
The Library Board must evaluate disproportionate mobility and accessibility impacts of potential branch closures on transit dependent populations.
Thanks for you support and participation!
Elinor, Oxo, and Leah (BCSOLC group moderators)
BUT, if what you are suggesting is another bond - forget it. Measure B, R, X, P, Y ... it doesn't matter. The money NEVER goes to keep SLV libraries open.
Pool together to figure out another way, but voters in the valley will never trust another library bond measure again. And for very, very good reason.
Elinor's quote "What I’m learning very quickly is … as soon as people stand up for libraries and say this is important, magical things happen,” Slayer said." is absolutely true.
Elinor's heart is in making this happen and I encourage everyone to help in any way they can - be it big or small. Let's all come together to save our libraries -- it has been done before in Santa Cruz County with Measure B (I think!!! My memory is fuzzy - that was relatively a long time ago) and the best outcome we can imagine ***can*** happen again!
In the words of the great New Zealand musician Neil Finn of the band Crowded House:
"Hey now, hey now, don't dream it's over!"
http://bclibraryfriends.org/index.php
Are they one and the same? Doesn't seem that way as the Felton bunch call themselves "Felton Library Friends".
Someone who knows, please clarify.