Levy Ok Opens New Chapter For County Libraries

The new county library in Deer Park will not be built for two years, but North Side residents will see some immediate improvements at existing county library branches as a result of the $7.66 million levy approved Feb. 6.

Books battered and worn from heavy use will be replaced, and access to on-line information, including that on the Internet, will be expanded.

The 65 percent approval margin for the library levy surprised many, including Jim Williams, who helped run the campaign. An identical levy was rejected in September.

“It just shows that Spokane is not a place where everybody goes to the lake and votes no,” said Williams.

The levy includes money to update and improve the county library computer system and to put a computer in every junior high and high school within the library system’s service area. The computers will allow students to connect with the county library’s card catalogs and reference files.

Mead High School librarian Mary Maloney said the hook-up will allow the school to stay informed about new material. The school currently gets updates every three or four months.

“It’s a great benefit to the high school,” Maloney said.

A dial-in option will be added and allow county residents with computer modems to access the library network from home.

The levy will not increase the number of available book titles, but about $2 million will be spent to replace heavily used titles, according to Ellen Miller, manager of the North Side region. Children’s books, such as the popular “Bearnstein Bears” titles, are particularly in need of replacement, she said.

Construction of the $1.14 million Deer Park branch is the big-ticket item on the levy. The library board is negotiating with Deer Park city officials over a site and has yet to hire an architect.

Deer Park city officials have agreed to donate land but have not said where in the city the parcel will be. Mayor Bob Dano said the city offered two sites near City Hall, but the library board hadn’t made a decision.

“We’d like to have a little complex up here where everybody can get all the amenities of the town,” said Dano, referring to the fire, police and government services currently on one block.

Libraries director Mike Wirt said the new building would be similar to branches in Otis Orchards and Medical Lake, which were built in the late 1980s.

, DataTimes