Siskiyou County Library, CA, Gets Six-Month Reprieve, But Branches Close
By Lynn Blumenstein Jun 24, 2010Local activism and public concern (including articles in the Los Angeles Times to Library Journal) over the possibility of Siskiyou County Library (SCL), Yreka, CA, closing July 1 may have had the desired effect; the county board of supervisors voted June 22 to keep the system open for six more months and to explore new business models.
According to a report on the Siskiyou Library Friends site, four out of five supervisors approved the reprieve and also named Lisa Musgrove county librarian.
Budget challenges, service cutbacks
Musgrove confirmed to LJ that SCL will receive a bare-bones budget of $140,000 from the county's provisions fund, "a portion of the reserves meant for emergencies." She had asked for $191,000, so SCL operations over the next six months will be challenging. The current budget is $712,000.
Branch hours will be "significantly reduced at all remaining locations," she said.
Currently, only four out of 12 branches remain open: Yreka, Mt. Shasta, Etna, and Butte Valley. As of July 1, Yreka's new hours will be Monday-Thursday 1-5pm, down from 30 hours a week. Some locations may be open only one to two days a week, "dependent upon some internal negotiations."
Consultants to the rescue
Additionally, State Librarian Stacey Aldrich will be sending two consultants to SCL to help in developing a new business model. Musgrove identified them as OCLC vice president and "library strategist" George Needham and consultant Joan Frye Williams.
We might just end up being the "rural library system of the future," quipped Musgrove.
Call to action
In the meantime, the library community "needs to get seriously mobilized and organized to get a special election in 2011 for stable funding for the library, Musgrove told LJ. "Six months isn't a lot of time for that."
According to an email from Supervisor Jim Cook posted on the Friends site, SCL's future may depend on the number of volunteers who step up, as they did to help win the six-month reprieve. Since the local communities have shown a willingness to help," wrote Cook; "[County Administrator Brian] McDermott has been able to propose to shift budgets."
Continued Cook, "Next year promises to be even worse for the budget," who noted that "now is the time for you to step forward and work together to keep our community's libraries open."
