Keeping the Libraries Afloat

The Orange County Public Library system has looked like a leaky boat for the past few years. It has been patched again and again, and if state and county lawmakers do not help out soon, the boat will be all but sunk. That would be a disaster.

Libraries everywhere provide a vital public service, making information available to everyone. For some, they instill a love for reading at any early age and help keep that love alive throughout a lifetime. For others, they provide a source of knowledge, a repository of reference books in which a needed fact can be found in minutes. The libraries are especially valuable to those without access to computers or the money to buy books and magazines.

The county’s library system budget has shrunk from $27 million in 1991 to about $17.5 million this year. That drastic decrease initially stemmed from the state government’s shortsighted decision five years ago to balance the state budget by cutting the amount of property taxes allocated to libraries and other special districts. The county’s bankruptcy two years ago dealt another devastating blow.

The deleterious impact on the county libraries has been obvious and disturbing. Far fewer new books have been bought. Subscriptions to magazines have decreased.

Library workers have done a fine job in doing the best they can with fewer resources. Volunteers have helped as well. From donating books to contributing cash to assisting with library labors, the amount of volunteer hours provided to the county libraries has been impressive.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors this month is expected to approve a plan to reorganize the library system. Devised by the county librarian, John M. Adams, the plan is designed to distribute resources based on the amount of tax revenue each community generates rather than tapping into system reserves.

That will mean better days for better-off communities. But for smaller, less affluent cities that do not operate their own libraries but depend on the county system, it will mean a continuation of tough times.

Cities facing a lessening of county library funding should scour their budgets for spare cash to donate to their local libraries. The libraries can be a centerpiece of the community, providing access to the knowledge required by a society facing rapid change. The county needs to keep the library system at the top of its priority list as well.