San Benito County residents who have library cards from the
Santa Clara County Library system will be charged $80 a year to
keep those cards starting July 1.
San Benito County residents who have library cards from the Santa Clara County Library system will be charged $80 a year to keep those cards starting July 1.
The Santa Clara County Library District Joint Powers Authority decided in April to start charging library users who live outside the district boundaries the fee to make up for a loss of reimbursement from the state.
According to a press release, of the 356,000 Santa Clara County library users, 43 percent of them live outside the district boundaries. The district includes the cities of Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Saratoga and unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County.
Melinda Cervantes, the Santa Clara County librarian, said that 10 percent of users at the Gilroy library and 9 percent at the Morgan Hill library are non-residents. In March, 2,591 San Benito residents used the Gilroy library.
“It’s extremely unique in the state,” Cervantes said, of a library system having so many out-of-district users. “It’s an indicator of the fabric of our communities. It says a lot about geography, and where people live and work.”
Cervantes explained that residents who live in the district pay for library services through property taxes, while some cities also have a special tax district to cover more fees. Cervantes said most district residents pay from $100 to $500 a year in taxes for the services.
In the past, the state reimbursed the county libraries for the usages by out-of-district users. In 2010, the county library received a $1.3 million reimbursement. But in the proposed budget for next year, all state funding for public libraries is slated to be cut.
“We know how popular and valuable the Santa Clara Library District Services and programs are, but we have to have the funding to continue to offer them to non-residents,” said Liz Kniss, a Santa Clara county supervisor and delegate to the Library District Joint Powers Authority, in a press release. “An annual fee for non-residents will extend county library privileges to them, including access to an impressive collection of materials and resources. There will continue to be no fee for residents of the library district.”
The Joint Powers Authority came up with the figure by estimating what an average household spends on library taxes within the district and dividing it for a family of three.
“It works out to $80 a year,” Cervantes said.
Cervantes said the Santa Clara library staff and the Joint Powers Authority are encouraging out-of-district families to pay for one library card that they can share for the household. She said that the person whose name is on the card would be responsible for the items, but up to 100 items can be borrowed at a time and up to 10 holds placed for items. The card provides unlimited access to online services and other resource materials in the library.
“For the most part, it’s not necessary to carry the physical card,” she said. “They can key in their number here.”
San Benito residents who attend pre-school through 12th grade at a public or private school in the Santa Clara County Library district boundaries will be eligible to apply for a student limited card. The student limited card will allow students to check out five items at a time, use of full-service computers inside the library and full remote access to e-resources such as research databases and online tutors. Applicants must provide student ID or proof of student status with school affiliation and a mailing address for the one-year card.
“It is not something we are proud of, but the reality is we have libraries in and around our district that are reducing hours,” Cervantes said, of the decision to charge the fee. “We’ve had a significant decline in book budgets. It’s become an imbalance and it’s not possible to continue at this pace.”
Cervantes said with the loss of state funds, property taxes coming in at lower rates and a combined $2.5 million shortfall, it was a choice of limiting library services or having out-of-district residents pay the fee.
“We said the people who are paying, we can afford to serve,” Cervantes said. “It is the additional work load that is a challenge for us.”
San Benito residents who have a Santa Clara County library card will not be automatically charged for the card. The first time they visit a library branch after July 1, they will be asked if they want to renew the card and pay $80. The card will be active for one year after payment.
San Benito county residents will continue to have free access to the San Benito County Free Library, on Fifth Street, in Hollister and the Luck Library, in San Juan Bautista. The City of San Jose Library system, as well as other city-based systems in Santa Clara County, still offers library cards to non-residents free of charge.
