Politics & Government

Library Fee Alternatives To Be Discussed Thursday

The joint powers authority of the Santa Clara County Library system voted late in April to charge non-residents an $80 annual library card fee. Today the board will consider proposed alternatives.

Ripples of dismay radiated across the county when the Santa Clara County Library District Joint Powers Authority approved an $80 annual library card fee for non-residents of the district, effective July 1.

The late April decision, prompted by the dramatic reductions in state funding and increasing demand on library service, meant, for example, that West San Jose or Sunnyvale residents who use the Cupertino Library, or who use the Los Altos Library, would have to pay for the use of their Santa Clara County library cards.

That may change at a meeting Thursday, as the Joint Powers Board meets to discuss two items: Allowing a free, limited youth card among its fee schedule, and consideration of an alternate proposal.

Find out what's happening in Cupertinowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Jean Mordo, the Los Altos Hills Town councilman who also sits on the Joint Powers Authority board, is sponsoring the alternate proposal for a free, limited use card for non-residents. He is working with the president of the Los Altos Library Endowment.

Cupertino, Los Altos, Woodland, Milpitas, Gilroy, Campbell, Morgan Hill and Saratoga are part of the library district.

Find out what's happening in Cupertinowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Residents of neighboring cities, even when they have a city library, often use county libraries, as well. Cupertino Library’s patrons include neighboring West San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara residents, which all have city libraries. The non-resident fee that would affect these patrons is not a popular choice among library staff.

“Although the pending implementation of a non-resident fee is necessary given the loss of significant state funding, Cupertino Library staff continue to look forward to serving the needs of the community,” said Mark Fink, community librarian at the Cupertino Library.

“The Cupertino Library will remain open seven days a week and will continue to provide cardholders with access to high-quality programs, materials and reference services," Fink said. "We anticipate that the number of patrons using our facility will decline; however, this trend will enable library staff to provide local residents with a greater selection of books and DVDs, shorter wait times for popular items, more convenient access to library computers and faster speeds on the library’s wireless computer network.”

Bob Simon, president of the Los Altos Library Endowment, outlined the proposal in a letter to County Librarian Melinda Cervantes.

The reason for considering the alternative is that the imposition of a fee "eliminates a great tradition—library access for all," he wrote.

Simon described a set-up for non-residents that controlled the amount of borrowing—say five books and similar quotas for CDs or DVDs. He suggested it would limit costly staff time devoted to such activities. This would also avoid the inevitable difficulties of a transition to an $80 non-resident fee (including a deluge of returned books to shelve on July 1), he wrote. Non-residents should have the same access to all library databases from home, he said.

"Their one activity that adversely affects the budget—their borrowing—would be controlled to the degree necessary to alleviate inordinate budgetary pressures."

Additionally, longstanding relationships between county libraries and city libraries, school districts and library volunteers, who criss-cross municipal lines, would be preserved Simon contended. Reciprocal privileges at city libraries would not be jeopardized, he said.

"Adoption of this plan, or some alternative to the fee plan, would be greatly appreciated by those citizens of the district who have long served their libraries and who cherish the tradition of a public library that is open to all and central to the preservation of an informed and democratic society."

Observers in neighboring cities of the county's eight libraries, such as Mountain View, have predicted that usage would increase at their respective libraries. Library Services Director Rosanne Macek for the said Wednesday the library did not plan to charge or deny service to county residents but was taking a wait-and-see approach.

The Finance Committee of the JPA unanimously voted against the proposal in a committee meeting, Cervantes wrote, contending that there not enough cost savings in the plan and that the agreement might result in cuts elsewhere.


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