Long Beach Main Library May Close

The mayor of Long Beach, CA, wants to close the Main Library of the Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) to most public use and would instead expand service at the branches. However, the 11 branch locations offer less public service space combined than the downtown main.

The Press-Telegram on July 24 quoted Mayor Bob Foster's chief of staff as saying the Main Library would be unsafe in an earthquake, needs $10 million in repairs, and is costly to heat and cool. The closure plan, however, aims to save only $1.8 million.

Eleanore Schmidt, LBPL director of library services, told LJ that when asked to propose cuts to meet a targeted $1.3 million budget reduction, staff had not recommended closing the Main Library. (The library's funding is about $25 per capita.)

The Main Library, built in 1977, encompasses 135,000 square, of which about 90,000 square feet are for public service, Schmidt said. The 11 branches offer less than 86,000 total square feet, including the 16,000 square foot Mark Twain branch, which opened in 2007 and is the only library newer than the Main Library. The branches, which have five- or six-day service, would have seven-day service under the mayor's plan. Some smaller branches have much higher per capita circulation than the Main Library, which houses nearly half the system's materials.

The mayor has recommended opening a temporary computer center downtown, while the Main Library building would still be used for administrative purposes and to store the city archives. However, that wouldn't provide space for programs and school visits, among other library functions. The City Council must approve the mayor's budget.

While voters in November will be asked to pass a $571 million bond measure, which might be used to build a new downtown library, the Main Library would still close, according to the Press-Telegram.

Library advocates have fought back. A new web site, Save the Long Beach Public Library, argues that libraries near downtown couldn't handle the influx of those served by the Main Library and that many children from the area wouldn't be able to travel to another location. While the Main Library does have infrastructure issues, such as a leaky roof, “there have not been any public notices of an immediate health and safety concern,” the web site states.