More Bad News for Oregon Libraries
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Joan Oleck -- School Library Journal, 4/18/2007
Now that Oregon's 15-branch Jackson County Library Services system has officially closed and laid off most of its staff, there's some more bad news. Libraries in rural Josephine and Douglas counties are also in trouble.
In fact, the expiration of the federal timber subsidy that drove Jackson County to take such drastic measures affects all but four of Oregon's 36 counties, says State Librarian Jim Scheppke.
Josephine is in the worst shape. Its central branch, in Grants Pass, is open a mere 15 hours a week, and one of its three branches is only open for three hours.
Cessa Vichi, the library manager there, says that four years ago the system had 21 full-time employees and three librarians. Now, Josephine has only eight part-timers and no librarians. "We've got both feet in the grave, and we're up to about our chins," Vichi says.
A tax levy on the May 15 ballot in Josephine could change that by freeing up existing county funds. But because the measure asks residents to approve a stiff tax of $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value, voters will probably balk, says Vichi.
The nine-branch Douglas County Library System in Roseburg is in slightly better shape. It has 75 employees, 45 of whom are full-time. But without the $150-million federal timber subsidy that Oregon formerly received, the library system's future looks grim.
What does Douglas expect in the next fiscal year? "I'm just guessing somewhere between a 100 percent cut in funding and maybe—in the best case—a 20 percent cut the first year, with increasing cuts declining over the years," says library director Max Leek.
The good news is that Oregon's libraries do have options. Those facing shortfalls can use a consultant hired by the state library to advise county officials on different funding strategies. The state also allows counties to create special tax districts for permanent library funding.
As for Jackson's closure, probably the largest in history, Scheppke expresses admiration for its decision. "They decided that they were either going to have a good library or no library," Scheppke says. "In Josephine it was like, 'let's just cut 'em and cut 'em and cut 'em again.' They're down to 15 hours a week. It's ridiculous."
