Spokane7
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October 25, 2010 in City
Library board considering East Side branch’s closure
Craig Davis, 27, spends part of his afternoon Oct. 14 at the East Side Library using the Internet to gather job search information. The Spokane Library Board of Trustees is considering closing the branch to save money.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)
Several times a week Lewis and Clark High School freshman Janelle McNeal heads to the East Side Library to finish homework, connect with friends online and read books.
But that option may soon disappear.
Faced with an approximately half-million-dollar hole in next year’s budget, the Spokane Library Board of Trustees is considering a plan to close the East Side Library.
“We’d have to go a long distance to get to another library,” said McNeal, who lives a couple blocks away and often goes to the library with her cousin, Jaquan Kinard, a sixth-grader at Grant Elementary. “Most people live in the area and probably can’t get to another one.”
The Spokane Library Board of Trustees will meet at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the East Central Community Center, 500 S. Stone St., to take public testimony about the proposed shuttering of the library, which is next door.
The possible closure comes just as the city completes paying for the library building. The East Side Library was one of six libraries built under a voter-approved property tax in 1990. Spokane Budget Director Tim Dunivant said the city will pay about $2.5 million in 2010 toward the bond that financed construction. Payments will end this year.
Library Director Pat Partovi said closing a branch is the preferred option because the system already has trimmed branch hours substantially.
“I wish we had a better answer,” Partovi said. “We end up giving bad service everywhere rather than good service in fewer locations.”
Partovi said cuts would include losing about 5 workers, the equivalent of 2 1/2 full-time employees.
When Spokane Mayor Mary Verner released a preliminary budget in May, she proposed cutting $500,000 from the amount it would take to sustain the current level of library services. The percentage cut was higher than in most departments. But as the expected deficit worsened, she’s held her proposed library cut steady while recommending greater reductions in other services.
Her current library proposal would cut 6 percent below the cost needed to sustain service levels. Most other departments will be slashed by 9 percent – unless employee unions agree with her request to pay more for health insurance and to forgo 2011 pay raises.
In 2004, during another budget crisis, a branch closure also was proposed. But after considerable outcry from neighborhood leaders, the library board opted to cut hours at all branches instead.
Some hours have been restored since then (the downtown branch reopened on Mondays this year), but Spokane’s library hours remain significantly less than other major library systems in the state. The city’s three smallest branches – East Side, Indian Trail and Hillyard – are only open 4 1/2 hours a day, five days a week.
Paul Burney, a retired Spokane resident, said he uses the East Side branch almost every day.
“This is a neighborhood where people don’t have computers and don’t have Internet access,” he said at East Side, while using a library computer. “Where does that leave all these kids?”
The amount of the city budget devoted to libraries is set by the City Council and mayor, but the Library Board of Trustees controls how that money is spent.
Partovi said the library is working with the East Central Community Center to determine if some of the library’s Internet access and other services could be transferred there. The library and community center share a parking lot.
Officials say East Side is in greatest danger of closing based largely on statistics. It has the fewest users and checkouts of any of the system’s branches. It ranks fifth in free Internet use, though that usage is significantly higher than the Internet use at the Indian Trail branch.
Since the hours at the three smaller branches were cut significantly, overall library use has shifted to the larger locations, Partovi said.
Another factor is its location. “East Side is the only branch within three miles of downtown,” she said.
It’s unclear what would happen to the library building if it closes.
“We don’t have any indication that our funding is going to increase to the level where we would be able to open it again as long as we remain part of the city’s general fund,” Partovi said.
The city has often examined the possibility of joining Spokane County’s library system. State law was recently changed to allow such a merger, but Partovi said the county system couldn’t afford to bring the city’s libraries up to the county’s service level even if it could generate taxes within city limits.
Closure of the East Side branch could be just the beginning. Shutting the branch’s doors saves only $150,000. Most of the remaining deficit will be covered from savings left in this year’s budget. That means more service cuts are likely in 2012 unless the budget picture changes.
“With the situation on hand, it may not be the last time that libraries have to face some really tough choices,” said library Trustee Janice Marich.
MAC faces angry crowd 
WillyPeter on October 25 at 6:54 a.m.
This is a tragedy of the first rank.
“Closure of the East Side branch could be just the beginning.”……….our legislature and city council can’t even keep our libraries open….sheeeesh
Sooooo, how’s that neato “Change” working out?
misjustice on October 25 at 7:34 a.m.
Brace for more cuts like this if the Baggers/Gaggers/GOPers get a majority in either chamber. We don’t need no stinkin’ book learnin’. Especially for poor folks.
madscientist on October 25 at 7:35 a.m.
closing this library makes sense. there is another one ten minutes away in multiple directions. the circulation is also the lowest at this location.
eagleproducer on October 25 at 9:34 a.m.
madscientist: 10 minutes by what means of conveyance? Over 80% of the people who use this library walk to it everytime.
One less drone strike in Pakistan would save this library. And it would make the U.S. a safer place as well.
IHike4Fun on October 25 at 9:59 a.m.
Didn’t we just pass a library bond issue and in the voters pamplet the library district said they had plent of $$ and the bond was a hedge against the future.
Now they are saying they have to close a branch.
This sounds like double talk to me.
pmoscow on October 25 at 10:23 a.m.
IHike4Fun: Spokane Public Library and Spokane County Library District are two distinct entities with separate service areas, separate funding, and separate governance. The Spokane County Library District’s levy (not bond) in the August primary has no bearing on Spokane Public Library’s current situation, so you can’t rightly suggest “double talk.”
That said, it is very unfortunate that the City’s budget is forcing the library to consider such drastic measures—the East Side neighborhood is exactly the type of neighborhood that needs a library.
madscientist on October 25 at 10:53 a.m.
10 minutes to downtown or south hill branch via car.
its not my fault “most people walk” to this branch.
move.
west on October 25 at 11:08 a.m.
Spokane has these public buildings (libraries) to serve the public, payed for, but no money to pay their employees to run them.. like it is..70-80 percent of all taxes city takes in goes to employees,,nothing left over for roads,etc. So all these public safety people who won’t give up wages.. so librarians can have a job, serving the poor,YOU are stealling from the poor people who want to read at the Eastside Library for your own gloated salaries.
liarsinnews on October 25 at 11:32 a.m.
Not enough money for libraries when the idiots are spending money for mass transit. Lets hear it for Mayor Verner. Verner lacks the management skills to be the CEO of Spokane and should be thrown out of office. Post haste!
spencergrainger on October 25 at 11:40 a.m.
This is typical. Indian Trail residents are much more likely to be able to drive to Shadle than East Central residents are likely to be able to drive downtown. It seems like a “they should just move” mentality is present on the library board - evidenced by their narrow perception of the social and economic variations within their “service area.”
madscientist on October 25 at 11:48 a.m.
Spencergrainger, brilliant idea. close the Indian trail library. keep the east side one open. that solves the walking to problem. Good Posting.
hersfeld on October 25 at 1:55 p.m.
Why is the knee jerk reaction that taxes need to be raised? Libraries needs to re-invent themselves or they become irrelevant. The model of a big brick and mortar building is passing. Just like the iPod killed the brick and mortar record store, Netflix killed Blockbuster, the iPad is killing Barnes and Noble.
Great article from today’s Wall Street Journal as to how libraries are re-inventing themselves to become more cost-effective.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304354104575568592236241242.html?mod=WSJ_article_LatestHeadlines
BigBee on October 25 at 2:46 p.m.
What’s Ice-T doing at a library in Spokane?