Long Beach Budget Proposes Library Closure
The mayor and city manager of Long Beach, California, proposed August 1 as part of the FY2009 budget the closure of the downtown library to the public while expanding hours at neighborhood branches, as part of the city’s effort to close a $17-million shortfall.
The budget, which must be approved by and may be altered by the city council, would expand service at each of the 11 neighborhood branches to seven days a week, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported August 1. Currently, four branches offer service six days a week, while the others are open five days a week. The main library would be closed to the public, although some administrative functions would continue to be housed there.
The current plan calls for a “satellite” or temporary branch in an as-yet-unspecified downtown location. Director of Library Services Eleanore Schmidt told American Libraries that the precise services that would be offered have not yet been defined, and that the city manager has convened a task force to discuss options.
The net savings from closing the library is anticipated to be $1.8 million. Schmidt said that she could not estimate the effect on library staffing levels, because of uncertainty about the service levels that would be provided.
The Long Beach Public Library Foundation, the Friends of the Long Beach Public Library, and other supporters have started a campaign advocating that the Main Library remain open until an interim library is in place. “We have 27,000 children in the downtown area, and for them this is their neighborhood library,” foundation Executive Director Sara Pillet said in the August 3 Press-Telegram. The downtown library is larger than the other 11 branches combined and serves 500,000 visitors a year.
Members of the public have protested the proposal in several letters published in the Press-Telegram, among them author Ray Bradbury. He wrote August 5, “City Hall decisions will remove access to over 1.5 million books from one square mile of the city! Is Long Beach at war with the printed word and books?”
The downtown library has problems with mold, leaks from pipes and the roof, and seismic issues, the Long Beach Grunion Gazette reported July 31, and the mayor’s office estimates repairs at some $10 million. However, “There’s nothing that I’m aware of that indicates the building needs to be closed immediately. We need time to develop a plan to get a temporary library up and running,” Schmidt said. She added that city studies indicated options to repair the building that cost as little as $3.5 million; the difference in estimates depends on whether and to what extent the library’s rooftop park is restored.
A $571-million bond issue set for a vote November 4 would pay for construction of a new, smaller downtown library among other municipal infrastructure improvements. If it passes, $18 million would go toward construction of a new library, supplemented by $8 million from the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency and funding from other sources, Schmidt said.
The city council was scheduled to consider the plan during mid-August budget hearings, and is mandated to approve a budget by September 15 for the fiscal year that begins October 1.
Posted on August 8, 2008. Discuss.