At the conclusion of a wide-ranging discussion of how libraries can be relevant to their communities in changing times, County Library Director Jose Aponte described three options for the financially embattled Escondido Public Library. The library has struggled with significant budget cuts that have forced it to reduce hours, programs, and materials purchases.

SD County Library Director Jose Aponte

Aponte’s first option is gaining more political power. “Libraries have always been on the periphery” of power, in line behind public safety, housing and jobs. He encouraged “filling the room” at City Council meetings with library supporters and “filling the docket” with voters describing their support for library programs. He called this “basic organizing 101″ in which friends of the library sit with elected officials and tell them why libraries matter.

Option two is creating a library district. This would give the library a protected source of revenue that is removed from the control of the City or the City Council. Revenues would come from property taxes, as they do for school districts and health care districts. This is Aponte’s preferred option, but he was careful to mention there are some disadvantages. It is also fair to note that even special districts have suffered a drop in revenue during this period of lower property values, so this plan would not leave the library unaffected by economic downturns.

The third option is joining the San Diego County library system. Aponte read a document that said any city declaring that it wanted to join the County library system must be accepted into that system. Because a portion of current property taxes already support library services, and now go to the City of Escondido, there would be a loss of property tax revenue to the city. But the library is likely to get an increase in funding. Aponte reported that during good times, Escondido’s library was funded at about $35 to $37 per resident. The County system is required by law to maintain a funding level of $35 per resident. Aponte’s rough estimate of next year’s funding for the Escondido library is approximately $24 per resident. Again, Aponte mentioned disadvantages, including loss of local control, that accompany becoming part of a large system. He admitted there are always “creative tensions.”

The main portion of Aponte’s entertaining talk focused on “the vitality of libraries and how relevant they are to us in these times.” He noted that about 20 percent of adults cannot read at a 4th grade level, and reiterated the importance of libraries to literacy. He noted that 41 percent of adults are not online, with communities of color and the elderly comprising much of that group. He described how technology, including self-checkout, would help libraries increase personal contact with staff. He described his commitment to longer hours, working toward a goal of opening at 7:30 a.m. and staying open until 10 p.m. He talked about how libraries can be relevant to their communities by becoming a community resource as other public agencies reduce services. “Libraries have to create value” to their communities, he said.

All along Aponte praised Escondido’s library and its Director Laura Mitchell, who attended the meeting. He called Escondido’s library one of the best medium sized libraries around — “a very busy, successful library.”