In a Victory for Activists, Hood River County, OR, To Reopen Library After One-year Closure
By Lynn Blumenstein Jun 22, 2011Hood River County Library District (HRCLD), OR, will hold a grand reopening celebration July 1, one year after the three-branch system closed. Last fall the county, faced with a lack of money to maintain the library, a nonmandated service, opted to close the three branches June 30, 2010. A May 2010 election to create a special district to generate library taxes failed. That outcome galvanized the community to plan a second ballot, which passed in November.
The closure was "a big eye opener," HRCLD board president Sara Duckwall Snyder said. "A lot of people assumed, 'Who doesn't want a library?' " But the May ballot, defeated by 54 to 46 percent, called for a millage rate of 70 cents per $1000 in assessed value, or an average of $140 annually in economically challenging times. In contrast, the successful November ballot asked for a 39 cent millage and was approved by 53 percent of voters.
Volunteers get out the vote, spread the message
The victory was the result of a well-coordinated effort of some 500 volunteers who made phone calls and spoke at every civic meeting, said Duckwall Snyder, who personally went door to door with her kids. Some five percent of registered voters worked on the campaign, said HRCDL board member Heather Staten.
According to Staten, the November ballot drew the highest turnout of library ballots in the state, even compared to the governor's race. "Our margin of support increased in 12 out of 13 precincts," she said.
Part-time status until November
HRCDL's new director is Buzzy Nielsen, formerly assistant director, North Bend Public Library, OR. He was hired June 1 and will be the only full-time employee until November 1, when the tax proceeds come in. Until then, HRCDL is recruiting several part-time employees, including a cataloger, children's librarian, three clerks, a clerk substitute, and two library assistants. They will staff the three branches that will open July 5-7, ranging from 14-25 hours a week. HRCDL serves 22,000 people.
HRCDL's budget for this pre-tax period is barebones. Ordinarily the library system's annual budget would be about $700,000-$750,000, Nielsen said. HRCDL's fundraising goal for July through November is $200,000, which has been met through the efforts of dedicated volunteers, including the Friends of the Hood River County Library and the Hood River County Library Foundation.
Other major contributors include Meyer Memorial Trust, James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation, Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation, and Oregon State Library's Ready to Read and Library Services and Technology Act matching grants.
Budget lessons learned
Hood River County's library budget in recent years experienced heavy cuts. It dropped from $775,566 in FY08-09 to $587,038 in FY09-10, according to Nielsen, who projects that the FY11-12 budget will be $878,121 (including the $200K already raised). Staten predicts that the Friends, a newly invigorated organization, "are really poised" to raise $50-$100K annually through continuing public/private partnerships.
