The “Help Keep Modoc's Libraries” (HKML) working group, which is a collaboration of the Library Advisory Board, the Friends of the Library, representatives from the Board of Supervisors, the County Librarian, and interested members of the community, has developed this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to incorporate and answer questions asked at the public meetings in January. The FAQ is a work in progress and will be expanded and updated periodically as the HKML working group continues to address these questions and any others that may arise.
Q1: I hear the Library is going to close. Is that true?
A1: No. Despite its current financial crisis, the Modoc County Library will survive and continue to operate, using funds generated by the $18 Library Tax Assessment. The question is, what level of services can be provided with that amount of funding and what level of services does the public want. We recognize the importance of the library in each community, and there are no plans to close any library sites. However, usage at each library is a factor in demonstrating the need for library services. Each community's involvement and participation play an important role in indicating how the library is valued.
Q2: Can the branches be open 2 days per week rather than 1 day per week if the total hours of operation remain the same?
A2: Maybe. Access to library services is important. The cost of utilities, however, is also a factor, and these costs rise for each additional day of operation. Another challenge would be determining which hours best serve the community.
Q3: Can the 2nd day of operation at the branches be restored?
A3: We want to and we hope to, but it is not possible until our funding improves. The Cedarville branch's 2nd day has been restored through June 30th, thanks to a community donation.
Q4: Why is the Alturas library closed on Wednesdays when the staff are still there working?
A4: The staff at the headquarters library in Alturas have absorbed duties previously performed by staff laid off in January (1 full time position and 1 part time position were laid off in Alturas). The Alturas staff have also absorbed some of the duties the branch staff did at the headquarters library, such as selecting materials for the branches and delivering and returning materials to each branch. In addition to providing direct Customer Service, which is done at all the Library's sites (checking materials in and out, processing fines, issuing and renewing library cards, answering basic reference questions, providing readers advisory, providing computer assistance), the three staff members at the Alturas library (Librarian, Technical Services Coordinator, Library Associate II) also have duties which are done only at the headquarters library. These duties include the following: Collection Development (selection, acquisitions, deselection); Technical Services (cataloging, processing, and preservation of library materials); InterLibrary Loan; Reference; Technology; Configuration and Maintenance of the Integrated Library System (ILS): Library.Solution Circulation, Cataloging, Public Access Catalog; Billing and Collection Referral (overdue, damaged, and lost materials); Accounts Payable; Library Tax Assessment; Supplies; Processing Donations; Web Page; State Reports; and Administration (personnel, policies and procedures, budget, training, planning, grants, public relations, interface with Board of Supervisors, Library Advisory Board, Friends of the Library, NorthState Cooperative Library System, NorthNet Library System, California State Library, other County departments and other agencies). Closing to the public on Wednesdays allows the three Alturas staff members time to work on their existing and newly assigned duties.
Q5: Have the cuts been made fairly throughout the Modoc County Library system?
A5: Every effort has been made to ensure that the necessary sacrifices are shared throughout the system. The cuts made in January of this year took into account population served, number of borrowers (Alturas: 4,578; Adin: 264; Cedarville: 637; Lookout: 140) and the usage at each library site (checkouts and renewals for 2011 – Alturas: 42,348; Adin: 7,299; Cedarville: 7,072; Lookout: 3,035) as well as the functions of and services delivered at each site. The headquarters library in Alturas performs functions that are not done at the branches but that make it possible for the branches to provide library services to their communities. Prior to the cuts made to all the Library's sites in January 2012, in 2009 the headquarters library in Alturas lost its Saturday hours and lost a full-time position, and a part-time position, and cut hours of another part-time position; the hours of operation at the branches were not cut at that time.
Q6: Can the Library share facilities with another entity or move to a more efficient building?
A6: Each library in the Modoc County Library system is located in a County building, and the Library does not pay rent. Moving to another building would incur rent costs. The Adin library already shares a building with the Adin Community Hall and Justice Court. The Library plans to pursue obtaining energy audits by the utility company to determine how we could increase our energy efficiency at our existing sites.
Q7: Will staffing levels remain or be further reduced?
A7: There are no plans to further reduce staffing levels.
Q8: Does the Library plan to provide Wi-Fi service?
A8: The Library is investigating different possibilities to provide Wi-Fi service at all its locations.
Q9: Can the Library keep InterLibrary Loan (ILL) service?
A9: The Library's ILL service, suspended mid-January, was restored on March 12, 2012, with the addition of a $3.00 shipping/handling fee paid by the patron. This fee will help defray ILL postage costs that were previously paid for by the NorthState Cooperative Library System (NSCLS), of which we are a member. Since the State of California has eliminated all funding for public libraries and library systems, NSCLS can no longer cover these costs.
Q10: These problems have been brewing for a long time. The “Library Corner” newspaper column which used to be regularly written by the previous librarian was a great way to keep the public informed. Why has the current librarian said nothing at all to the public about this impending funding problem in the past several years and going back?
A10: The Library's finances have been openly discussed at meetings of the Library Advisory Board, Friends of the Library, and the Board of Supervisors, all of which are posted and open to the public. The Library's budget, like budgets of all County departments, is approved by the Board of Supervisors every year following its review and recommendation by the County's Budget Committee, which is comprised of the County Administrative Officer (CAO), Assistant CAO, Auditor, and two Board of Supervisors representatives, and is a public document. In hindsight we realize the public could have been better informed of the Library's financial situation. Decisions were not made easily and involved numerous discussions with the Board of Supervisors and the Library Advisory Board. The decision to conduct public meetings at each branch location was to be open and honest about the Library and to request input for possible solutions.
Q11: What is the Library doing to improve its communication to the public?
A11: The “Help Keep Modoc's Libraries” (HKML) working group is a collaboration of the County Librarian, the Library Advisory Board, Friends of the Library, representatives of the Board of Supervisors, and interested members of the community, to ensure continued library services for Modoc County residents. It was created to inform the public about the historical and current Library situation, and to solicit input from the public on how to maintain and enhance existing library services. HKML held public meetings in Cedarville, Lookout, Adin, and Alturas in January of this year. Following the public meetings, the HKML working group formed the following subcommittees to address issues, questions, and concerns raised at the public meetings: Budget/Planning; Communications; Fundraising; Volunteers; Tax. The working group and its subcommittees have held numerous meetings and continue to meet frequently to work on addressing the questions and comments from the public meetings. The first report of the HKML working group was released March 15, 2012 and was published in the newspaper and on the Library's web site (http://modoccountylibrary.org); was sent to all individuals attending the public meetings who requested followup information; was presented to the Board of Supervisors and the Alturas City Council; and is posted at the four Library sites. In addition to Library Advisory Board meeting agendas being posted at the four Library sites, the Courthouse, the Post Office, and at City Hall, the meeting dates are now being published in the newspaper and on the Library's web site. Notices of the “Help Keep Modoc's Libraries” working group meetings are posted at the four Library sites and on the Library's web site, and are e-mailed to people who provided an e-mail address at the public meetings. The Library Advisory Board has scheduled some of its meetings at the branch locations: in Adin on June 20, 2012, and in Cedarville on August 29, 2012. The next Library Advisory Board meeting is in Lookout on Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 10 am. Articles or columns about the Library will be published in the newspaper more frequently. The HKML working group hopes to have followup public meetings at the four Library sites. And finally, this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document has been developed as a format to incorporate and answer a variety of questions asked at the public meetings in January. Part 1 of the FAQ was disseminated in June in the same manner (listed above) as was the first report of the HKML working group. The FAQ is a work in progress and will be expanded and updated periodically.
Q12: What is the status of the Library's budget?
A12: Due to significant cuts in hours and staff made in January (Fiscal Year 2011/2012) and still in place for Fiscal Year 2012/2013, the deficit in the Library's budget has been greatly reduced. However, a current shortfall of approximately $10,000 still exists. For the second year in a row, the State of California is not providing any funding for public libraries through the Public Library Fund (PLF). The delinquency rate for the local library tax remains elevated. The Library does not receive funding from the County. In fact the Library pays the County for services provided by the Treasurer and Tax Collector, by Information Technology (IT), and services included under the Cost Plan.
Q13: Does the Library take advantage of grant opportunities?
A13: Yes. Grants are available only for specific projects, however, not operating funds. Through grants, the Library has received training, new computers, a microfilm system, and books from funders such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the McConnell Fund, the Libri Foundation, and the California State Library. Although the Library has been successful in receiving the aforementioned grants, not all grant applications are successful. Grant applications require time to write, which is now a greater challenge with our reduced staffing level. Grant writers are always needed, and volunteers are welcome to assist with the application process.
Q14: How is the Library funded?
A14: The Library's funds are managed by the County and held in the County Treasury, but are restricted and may only be used by the Library. The Modoc County Library's primary revenue source is the annual assessment of $18 per property owner. This tax was approved by a 2/3 majority of voters in 1988. (See the Library's web site for more details.) Additional revenues come from fines and fees, interest earned on reserve funds, Friends of the Library contributions, storage rental, grants, and donations. Although the Library is a County department, it does not receive funds from the County.
In addition to fines on overdue items, the Library collects fees for a variety of services such as FAX, photocopies, printing, proctoring exams, microfilm look-up, InterLibrary Loan shipping, and equipment rental. A revised Fines and Fees Schedule approved by the Library Advisory Board and the Board of Supervisors went into effect on July 1, 2012 and includes some new services and increases in some of the existing fees.
The Friends of the Library, a non-profit organization, conducts fund raising activities to help support the Library. In addition to book sales and special events such as the June Jamboree and the fall fundraiser (for example, this year's Patriotic Salute), the Friends raise money through the sale of Holiday Market gift cards, membership dues, and GoodSearch (see Library's web site). This year, to benefit all branches of our Library, the Friends group is contributing over $17,500 for books, audiobooks, magazine and newspaper subscriptions, Summer Reading program, office supplies, and branch deliveries.
The Library receives donations of books as well as cash donations . Book donations are either added to the Library's collection or passed on to the Friends for book sales. Cash donations are categorized as “Memorial” (in memory of a loved one), “In Honor Of” (in honor of a living person or of an event) or miscellaneous. Donors may request a donation go toward whatever is most needed, or be targeted for a specific purpose. As an example, Surprise Valley Rotary donated $14,000 to keep the Cedarville branch library open two days a week through June 30, 2013.
In recent years revenues have declined for various reasons. Due to the County's financial crisis, the County went off the Teeter Plan, whereby the County “fronted” all the Library tax to the Library whether it had been collected or not; now the Library receives its $18 tax only when it is collected. When the property tax delinquency rate rose sharply, the Library tax revenue dropped by over $60,000 each year for the past two years and is predicted to remain the same this year. Interest rates dropped sharply, resulting in reduced interest earned on the Library's reserve funds. The State of California reduced its funding significantly for public libraries through the Public Library Fund (PLF) and eliminated all funding for public libraries for the past two years; the State also reduced and then eliminated its funding to the California Library Services Act (CLSA) library systems, including North State Cooperative Library System and NorthNet Library System, of which we are members.
At the same time, costs have increased. Inflation alone accounts for a large part of increased costs: it takes over $34 in today's money to have the same buying power that $18 did in 1988. Costs for services provided by the County to the Library have increased significantly, such as the Cost Plan and Information Technology (IT). Moreover, North State Cooperative Library System and NorthNet Library System have been experiencing financial difficulties, and many costs benefiting member libraries covered in the past must now be assumed by our local Library budget, such as delivery costs, database subscriptions, cataloging and resource sharing subscriptions.
It is important to note that the Library has not borrowed money or gone into debt to provide services. The Library has used its own money to operate and provide valued services since 1988.
Q15: What is the “Mello-Roos”?
A15: The Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982 (Government Code 53311-53368.3) authorizes the formation of a Mello-Roos Community Facilities District (CFD) and the levying of special taxes thereunder to finance designated public facilities and services when no other source of money is available.
Prior to 1989, the County of Modoc funded the Library. The Library narrowly escaped being cut from the County's budget in 1987, but facing severe budget problems in 1988, the Board of Supervisors said the County was no longer going to fund it. The Library was scheduled to close completely on December 31, 1988 unless another funding solution could be found. The Board appointed a Library Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from each community in the county, plus a representative from the educational community, and a delegate from the Friends of the Library, with the librarian as an ex officio member. This committee of eleven people was charged with trying to find a solution to funding the library in the future.
Acting under the framework of the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982, the Board of Supervisors passed and adopted Resolution Number 88-38 creating Community Facilities District Number One on August 1, 1988 to finance a full-service public library system serving the residents of Modoc County. Following a massive campaign for Measure A conducted by the Friends of the Library, voters approved the levy of $18 per annum per landowner to fund Community Facilities District Number One by the required two-thirds majority vote on November 8, 1988, thus saving the Modoc County Library from shutting down on December 31st. This levy has no sunset clause, i.e. it does not end. Unfortunately, there is no provision for an increase in the levy to keep up with inflation either, and it takes over $34 in today's money to have the same buying power that $18 did in 1988. The funds may only be used for the Library.
Updated December 14, 2012