Karminder Brown’s family is not poor, but she said they might be if they had to purchase all the books and resources her children use at the San Benito County Free Library each week.
As a mother of two children with varied educational needs, she said she feels the library is such an important asset to her family and the community that she leaped out of a dentist’s chair at a mid-morning appointment when a friend texted her that the San Benito County Board of Supervisors were again discussing the potential closure of the resource on Tuesday.
“We have a card in Santa Clara that we pay $80 a year for,” she said of the Santa Clara County Library system.
She added that the cost and the travel to the Gilroy or Morgan Hill libraries would likely be prohibitive to some local residents who keep the Fifth Street library packed on days when it is open.
On Thursday afternoon, in the meantime, the San Benito County Free Library was set to celebrate Family Literacy Day. The afternoon included plans for a puppet show, story time, ice cream social and more activities with prizes for some of the children. It is one of many events held throughout the year that highlight the resources at the library and the services it provides for children as well as families and individuals.
“If you haven’t been down there in a while, it’s crowded,” Brown said. “It has books, computers. People can apply for jobs. To close the library this year would be like shutting down the unemployment office.”
Brown was just one of nearly a dozen people who spoke out against Supervisor Anthony Botelho’s suggestion Tuesday that the board move to close the library. More supporters filled the chambers to listen to the discussion.
Botelho said he was uncomfortable with the supervisors’ decision during the budget hearing process to use part of the reserves to balance the budget.
“I see this being a real problem,” Botelho said.
He referred to County Librarian Nora Conte as “the best in the world” and said he was very proud of the programs she has been able to implement to serve the community.
“I do not want to wait until 2013 to try to do something we should have done sooner,” he said. “I’m certainly open to other ideas. We have $1 million to make up. I think I have to recommend closing the library to save that money for ongoing needs in public safety and general services.”
Impassioned members of the public reiterated many of the same sentiments they shared during the 2012-13 budget hearing process as well as in recent years when cuts have been proposed to the library.
Jillian Wilson, a member of the Friends of the Library, a former library employee and stay-at-home mom, said she uses the resources regularly as she home schools her children.
Harriet Brin, a member of the Friends of the Library, talked about how cuts to the library will mean the staff members have to return hard-earned grant funding. Brin said even a temporary closure could impact the library’s ability to receive grants in the future as agencies will remember that San Benito County was not able to complete contracts in the past
Bill Tiffany, a local lawyer, discussed a potential partnership between the library and the San Benito County Law Library that would be put in jeopardy if the department were to be shuttered.
“It seems to be that along with being about dollars and cents, it is also about priorities,” he said. “If the librarian here is the best in the world and has done miracles, it should be a priority.”
Before members of the public had a chance to speak, three supervisors said they would not agree to close the library this year.
“I believe this budget year has been determined,” said Supervisor Margie Barrios. “We committed to taking $200,000 from reserves. To close the library would punish people who are actually trying to improve themselves.”
She also said she believed closing the library could be a detriment to bringing in new businesses in the future as it would send the wrong message. Barrios also said she wanted to allow time to complete a survey that is being funded through a Health Trust grant that would determine if the community supports a special district assessment for parks, recreation and the library.
Supervisor Jerry Muenzer said he would like to see the Friends of the Library and other supporters of the library come up with a new revenue source for the library.
“It will always be on thin ice if it comes to the general fund for money,” Muenzer said, of one of the few discretionary items in the county’s general fund. “You need a new, significant revenue source – user fees, fundraiser.”
He said after the budget hearings, he got the most criticism from constituents that the supervisors agreed to keep the library open while eliminating public safety jobs.
Supervisors Robert Rivas and Jaime De La Cruz supported keeping the library open. De La Cruz created an ad-hoc library committee that will include Supervisors Barrios and Botelho, with other members still to be determined, to lead discussions on new sources of revenue for the library for the 2013-14 year.
