November 03, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Library director favors one big library, closing branches

by Bill D'Agostino

It'll be a tense City Council meeting Monday night, if last week's heated Library Advisory Commission meeting is any indication.

On Thursday, Palo Alto Library Director Paula Simpson gave a "work-in-progress" version of the libraries' status report to the commission that she'll present to the council Monday night, including options for the future.

The fireworks came after the new library director told the commission her favored vision is to create one, new state-of-the-art library while closing existing neighborhood branches.

"I don't know that I'm ready to say this is the one (best option) but I see, more and more, the value of concentrating the resources in one central library," Simpson said. As expenses continue to rise, multiple branches require too much duplication -- buying numerous copies of books and staffing numerous reference and checkout desks -- to be sustainable, she argued.

Many commissioners resisted the idea, which has floated in the past without success by past library advocates. The dissenting commissioners feel the current five-branch system is necessary to Palo Altans' perceived standard of living, and know that affected neighborhoods would immediately oppose any proposals to the contrary.

"I hope you wear your bulletproof vest," Commissioner Tom Wyman said. "I just don't think this is going to fly."

The new central library Simpson envisions would include: a larger collection of books and media; space for cultural programs; a history room; a homework-assistance program; a technology center; various rooms for quiet and group study; a children's area that classes could visit; a center for teens; an outreach van that could bring services to other community neighborhoods; a display area for art; a store for the Friends of the Palo Alto Library; a café; and ample underground parking.

It would be housed in an environmentally-friendly building "that fits in with the community's ambiance," Simpson said

The number of libraries still in existence under the plan would be open for debate, although the Mitchell Park Library and Children's Library would almost certainly remain open, she said.

Other neighborhood libraries could potentially stay if neighborhood groups, nonprofits or other city departments pay to run the buildings in exchange for reserving portion of the space for that organization's use, Simpson said.

Not all commissioners were opposed to the plan, although there was clear ambivalence about the idea of closing libraries.

"That is the library Palo Alto needs and deserves," Commission chair Lenore Jones said of the full-service library. Most of the accoutrements proposed for a state-of-the-art are not currently in Palo Alto because there is no space or money.

"We're not doing a lot of the services other than the basics," Simpson said.

By closing the two smaller libraries in the College Terrace and Downtown neighborhoods, there would be enough existing funds to indefinitely staff the new library without an increase in annual spending, Simpson said. However, she did not say where the money to build a new library would come from.

To build a big enough building, the Main Library might also have to be relocated from its current home on Newell Road to a city-owned property near California Avenue or downtown, Simpson said.

To keep all five existing libraries open, Simpson said there must be an increase in annual spending, possibly with funds coming from a parcel tax. Simpson said librarians currently having a hard time keeping the doors open, and both the collection and library buildings fail to meet residents' needs.

Last month, Simpson announced that two neighborhood libraries had to temporarily close one additional day a week because two staff members were unexpectedly absent.

The situation will only get worse over time, since city revenues aren't keeping pace with growing expenses like health care costs, Simpson said.

"The status quo really isn't a viable option without some really significant changes to the operations," agreed Commission Vice Chair Sandra Hirsh, who expressed concern that the council will fail to provide a strong direction. "It's something that seems painless in the beginning but it's going to have these long-term painful consequences."

To keep all five libraries open and adequately staffed, five new full-time librarians would have to be hired, positions frozen during the economic downturn would have to be filled and two part-time positions also need to be filled, Simpson said.

She will announce the full cost of this plan, and others, at next week's council meeting.

"This is very difficult because there is no clear path, there is no clear answer, there is no answer that people will rally around," Simpson said.

One "have the cake and eat it too" plan was created during the commission meeting. It would be expensive, but would build a new full-service library, keep the existing libraries open and add new libraries in neighborhoods that currently lack such facilities.

Although Hirsh said she had "zero hope" it could ever happen, it was her favorite option.

Toward the end of the heated discussion, the library director asked for officials to not be so quick to judge her proposal.

"There is so much defensiveness," Simpson said. "I'm an outsider. I'm still very new. It's really hard to have productive discussions."

Councilwoman Hillary Freeman, the liaison to the library committee, told Simpson that the tension highlighted the conflict in the community over the idea of closing libraries.

"Obviously," Simpson retorted. "We have to get past that and start talking about solutions."

Staff Writer Bill D'Agostino can be e-mailed at bdagostino@paweekly.com.

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