Knocking on doors to try to reach voters about the budget crisis, library supporters faced what turned out to be insurmountable challenges: One was that the tax measures did not specifically mention the library, only the city's general fund.
Another was that many people did not take the issue seriously. Some said the city was crying wolf and would find a way to pay for the services. Other voters said the shortage was the result of fiscal mismanagement, and they refused to throw more good tax dollars after bad. Still others decided they were just too poor to approve any more taxes.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday December 16, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 49 words Type of Material: Correction
"Grapes of Wrath" -- An article Nov. 26 in Section A about the possibility that Salinas, Calif., will close its public libraries because of budget cuts suggested that the John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath" was set in the Salinas Valley. It was set in the Central Valley.
Across the country, budget cuts have jeopardized library services in Detroit, Denver, Lancaster, Pa., and Crawford County, Ohio -- some of the communities that have slashed hours and closed branches this year. In western New York state, Erie County officials may close all 52 public libraries unless the county resolves its funding crisis.
Other California communities have experimented with closing libraries as part of local budget cutting. After rural Lassen and Shasta counties closed library systems in the 1990s, officials worked for several years to restore the services.
"In some people's mind, the easy option when faced with budget cuts is to close libraries, cut services and lay off staff -- an approach that is incredibly shortsighted," said Michael Gorman, president-elect of the American Library Assn. and university librarian at Cal State Fresno.
"They don't realize the tremendous impact on society in denying people access to the information they need. These closures particularly affect the poor, who often don't have other access to books or computers."
Nationwide, Americans each spend about $25 a year for local public library services -- about the cost of a newly published hardcover book -- and check out an average of six books a year. Since 2002, library-funding cuts have approached $100 million around the country, with more than 2,100 jobs eliminated and 31 libraries closed, according to the association.
State officials may visit Salinas to suggest alternative funding plans.
"I find it very sad that a city that's the birthplace to one of America's greatest writers can't seem to sustain a library," said California State Librarian Susan Hildreth. "But this town is truly in a terrible financial crisis."
