Politics & Government

An Alternative to the $80 Non-Resident Library Fee?

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. That may change today as an alternate proposal will be discussed, including free limited privileges for youth.

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 Mountain View residents who were using the Los Gatos Library would have to pay for the use of their Santa Clara County library cards.

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

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Monte Sereno Councilwoman Lana Malloy and Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman, a longtime Los Gatos resident and former mayor, sit on the Joint Powers Authority board. Los Altos, Woodland, Milpitas, Gilroy, Cupertino, Campbell, Morgan Hill and Saratoga are part of the library district. Residents of neighboring cities, even when they have a city library, often use county libraries, as well. 

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.

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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 prevent the inevitable difficulties of a transition to $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, and reciprocal privileges at city libraries would not be jeopardized.

"Adoption of this plan, or some alternative to the fee plan," he said, "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."

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


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