HomeMy WebLinkAboutbos letter - pub library fundingBOARD OF SUPERVISORS
ADMINISTRATION CENTER
25 COUNTY CENTER DRIV1=, SUITE 200 - OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA 95965
TELEPHONE: (530} 538-7631
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March 13, 2013
Senator Rod Wright
Member, Senate Budget Subcommittee Number 1 on Education Finance
State Capitol, Room 5064
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Upcoming Budget Heariun~gs -Public Library Funding
Dear Senator Wright:
BILL CONNELLY
First District
LARRY WAHt.
Second District
MAUREEN ICiRK, Vice Chair
Third District
STEVE LAMBERT, Chair
FOUrth DlstrlCt
KIM K. YAMAGUCHI
Fi#th District
The budget "trigger" that went into effect in January 2012 has completely eliminated all State-
sponsored funding for public libraries and literacy programs, making California one of the largest
states in the nation with no state-sponsored funding.
The Ions of State funding will have the following effects:
• Approximately $16 million in federal funds will be lost if California cannot rr~eet its
maintenance of effort requirement;
• Collaborative lending among libraries and library systems is declining and may completely
vanish in many regions, leaving the State's most impoverished citizens without equal access
to information;
• Increasing financial stress on local libraries will limit residents' access to library books and
materials and the vast stores of information available on electronic databases;
• 1n many areas, literacy programs will be curtailed or maybe eliminated altogether.
Provided below are the deeper implications for Butte County and the State of California, should
State library funding be eliminated:
Fewer will have access to technology. Particularly in rural California, the Great Recession
has caused many residents to eliminate their Internet services and to rely instead on the local
library for public Internet access to apply for jobs, do school work and research, search for
medical and other critical information, and stay In contact wlth friends and family. Computer
usage in the Butte County Library has been continually Increasing, but is limited by the
relatively small number of computers available. Curtailing funding to public libraries across
the state will mean fewer computers and Less access to the world of online information,
putting local communities and the state at a competitive disadvantage.
Equality will suffer. The ability to access library materials across regions or statewide
levels the playing field for Low income residents. A lack of funding for public Libraries will
exacerbate the widening division between wealthy and poor communities, making the goal of
"equal access" to information a notion of the past. Poor communities are less likely to fill the
funding gap to sustain interlibrary lending programs and keep book collections updated. This
negatively affects poorer residents' education and employability, ultimately increasing the
burden on "safety net" services.
)lliiteracy's effects will be far-reaching. Local libraries are often the only place residents
can go far Literacy services. Learning to read is alife-changing event that can completely
alter an individual's role in society. In Butte County (where an estimated 17% of adults are
not adequately literate}, adult learners have achieved important goals such as reading books
and newspapers, writing resumes, competing for better jobs, obtaining licenses and
certifications, understanding voter material and voting, assisting with their children's
homework, and becoming more involved with the community. Studies have connected
illiteracy with costly overuse of the health care system and the inability to break out of the
cycle of crime and punishment. The entire state suffers when a significant number of its
residents cannot read.
Public libraries are vibrant community hubs that contribute directly to our State's future and have an
excellent reputation for the wise expenditure of public funds. California cannot retain its "cutting
edge" reputation without an educated, cultured, engaged populace. Please help us achieve that goal
by restoring State funding for public libraries and literacy programs.
Sincerely,
Steve Lambert, Chair
Butte County Board of Supervisors
Cc: embers, Board of Supervisors
aul Hahn., Butte County Administrative Officer
/P 1 Yoder, Shaw/Yoder/Antwih
Lacey Aldrich, California State Librarian
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