The State of America's Libraries

The American Library Association has released a new report on the State of America's Libraries in 2011. The report has both good and bad news. Not a lot of surprises really - but some sobering and inspiring results.

The report contains the results of a poll conducted by Harris Interactive about library usage. Of the people polled, over 65% had visited their library in the past year, and 58% had a library card. More women than men used the library, especially working women and working mothers. Over two thirds of those surveyed said that the library was important and helped them in finding work or launching a new business.

Overall, statistics for use in the nation's libraries are up, even as budgets are down. The budget news is sobering - Everyday we hear about libraries reducing hours and considering closing locations. Funding for public libraries in California is at risk in the State Budget. In Northern California, the Oakland Public Libraries faced the possible closure of 14 out of 18 branches. San Jose Public Library has reduced hours in some branches to 3 days a week. Elsewhere, the Seattle Public Library is once again closing for a full week in August, with no services available to the public. These stories are the new normal - a grim and sobering reality.

There are some positive signs and reason for optimism - Oakland Public Library staged an impressive public awareness and advocacy campaign, and the public outcry over the closures was so great that the City Council decided not to make the cuts in the library budget. The Los Angeles Public Library was recently able to reopen on Mondays thanks to Measure L, which guaranteed a higher percentage of the City's property taxes for the library.

A recent study completed for the Philadelphia Free Library showed that the return on the public investment in the library was substantial - the City got over $30 million in return through economic benefits from the library. This study also showed that housing located near libraries had a significantly higher value, helping the real estate market in the city. San Francisco Public Library and a number of other libraries have done studies that show that for every public dollar invested in the public library, a community gets anywhere from $4 to $8 in return.

So though times are tough, and budgets continue to be a challenge, the Public Library is still one of the best investments a community can make. Here in Huntington Beach, we are working hard to maintain hours and ensure that you have access to the best deal in town - your Public Library.

Starting July 1, Huntington Beach Library has EBooks!

Thanks to a generous donation from our Friends of the Library, starting on July 1, Huntington Beach Public Library will have EBooks for checkout. So all you IPad, Nook, Sony and Tablet readers, check out our website on Friday, July 1.

Kindle Readers - we will have books for you in the Fall. Stay tuned.

Summertime at the Library

This time of year means two things for me -

Summer Reading and ALA.

I just got back from the American Library Association Conference in New Orleans -

Conferences are always something of a whirlwind for me. First, there is navigating your way around the conference itself. I've been to New Orleans, but things change and things have definitely changed in the Big Easy. Getting familiar with the layout of a conference takes a little while, even if you are pretty good at navigating your way around. And then there is the weather. In New Orleans, that translates into sauna outside, refrigerator on the inside. Light layers is the only way to go.

This year there was lots of conference buzz about eBooks and readers - some new players in the eBook market and maybe some good library solutions just around the corner. Lots of cool and interesting new technology, especially with mobile apps, was on display and I got the chance to talk to a variety of people about mobile services, and how we can help our smart phone patrons do things just like they use their smart phones for everything else! There were texting services, new ILS vendors, new laptop vending machines, new self service library kiosks and the list goes on... I came away exhausted, but yet somewhat excited about possibilities. We may be able to scrounge some money together to help connect people to the books and info they want through some of these new tools.

And I came back to a booming Summer Reading program - we launched our Reading program this week, and we already have 1,300 children signed up. From what I hear, it has been controlled chaos here this week so far.

Summer Reading has been shown over and over again to help kids in school, by keeping reading skills sharp. And it looks like HB's kids are off to a good start for their summer.

We are managing our huge volume with a lot less staff this year. I am constantly amazed at how much our staff get done, even when times are tough and budgets keep getting slashed. They are all truly amazing and dedicated professionals who are creative, innovative and flexible.

So here's to a great 4th of July and lots of fun with summer reading.

Going Solar at HBPL

This morning, as I was arriving to work, I witnessed the transformation of our 2 parking lots into construction zones. Fencing was going up over a good portion of our parking lot, in readiness for our Solar Carport Project.

The fenced area is where the first batch of Carports will be going in. The Photovoltaic Carports will provide shade and enhance the look of our parking lot, while harnessing the power of the sun to support the power needs of the Library. We are going to be able to do our part for the environment and our budget. We expect construction to be finished by next Fall.

Libraries are by their very nature GREEN - we may not have had solar power before, but our READ, RENEW and RETURN mantra is VERY green. We circulate over 1 million items a year - That's a lot of sharing going on.

With our new Carports, we'll be that much more efficient and effective, helping our community and planet. So if you come to the Library over the next few months, just remember that the parking will get better, and this minor inconvenience will in the long run make for a better library and a nicer parking lot! Thanks for your patience.

Telling Library stories

March has been a busy month - lots of budget talk, budget work, review of services, concerns about sustainability, etc. Much like the talk over the past few years - I am having serious Deja Vu moments all the time... But in talking about services, budgets and sustainability, one thing has become quite clear to me. I haven't done a very good job in telling the Library story. What do I mean by that? What is the Library story? To me, the Library story is about how amazing libraries are, and the difference they make in people's lives. Libraries feed the mind and are the collective record of our civilization. Libraries are tangible manifestations of democracy, open to all. But every time I turn around and read the latest news report or talk to someone, even family members, people are just completely unaware of what we can do for them and how we benefit the community. We are seen as a "nice, quiet place." Or we are seen as old fashioned, obsolete, a relic of a previous age. With all the new buzz about eReaders and eBooks, this image - one that implies irrelevancy - is maddening. So I am going to try and use this blog more regularly, and with any luck, maybe I can start to change the Library story a bit. At least here in Huntington Beach. So stay tuned...

Library as Sanctuary

There was a wonderful editorial in the Los Angeles Times this past Sunday, March 6 -

The author, Pico Iyer, did a wonderful job detailing one of the key benefits of public libraries. Public libraries are sanctuaries, and offer something that no other place in our modern society can - The opportunity to lose or find yourself in the collective intelligence of our communities. Libraries are the collective intelligence of society - they make our communities smarter, and help people find themselves.

In these tough times, the importance of sanctuary should not be underestimated. As Pico Iyer said "to save money by reducing library services and resources is like trying to save a bleeding man by cutting out his heart. Or - if we could reach it - his soul."

Well said.

Library funding in California

The State budget in CA is a mess -

Huge deficits, proposed budget cuts, taxes, etc. Nothing new here - it is the news for the past few years.

But this year the Governor has proposed ELIMINATING all support for public libraries in the State budget. The total amount comes to $30.4 million. Complete elimination will devastate our Literacy programs, Library cooperative efforts and will endanger matching funds from the Federal Government. All when libraries are more important than ever and we are making a difference everyday in people's lives.

If you get laid off and need to look for work, where can you turn? The Library. We have resources to help you with your resume, career development, training and finances.

If you are a student and need help with your homework, where do you turn? The Library. We have the resources to help with every assignment and we also have an online service that connects students to trained Tutors.

If you are an adult who is functionally illiterate, who fell through the cracks of our education system, where can you go? The Library. Our Literacy programs work one on one with adults who want to improve their skills and be better able to function and contribute to our economy and society.

All of these services are at risk by eliminating the State funding for Public Libraries.

Calls and letters are needed to the State Legislative Budget Conference Committee to urge them to support the Assembly version of the budget. The State Assembly proposed some cuts, but left some funding for these crucial services.

If you can, take a moment and contact your legislative representatives and the Budget Conference Committee, and ask them to stand up and support libraries. To learn more about the challenges to library funding and how you can help check out this link.