if you love our libraries, and would like to see them supported and open, please watch and share our new video, with a cute ending, here:
Time is running out on restoring our library hours. And next year, hours will be cut further. Opening hours have gone from 75 per week in the seventies, to 52 hours in 2010, to just 40 hours today. And guess what: library hours are going to be cutback even more next year!
Since the unprecedented cutback in hours, attendance has plummeted 34%. That's more than one million visits less, for children, teens, seniors, and other library users who arrive and find the doors locked every Monday and nearly every evening.
Marin spends $95 per capital on their library system and Sonoma County spends just $32.
Unless We, the People, turn this "suck it up, it's the new normal" ship around, and convince our Supervisors to place a revenue measure on the ballot, this situation will go from bad to worse. A new poll found that 70% of voters will support a $25 parcel tax for libraries, or a 1/8 of 1% sales tax. But thus far, our Supervisors are refusing to place this on the November ballot for public consideration.
Please email them from www.RestoreLibraryHours.com, or call 565-2241, and ask that they allow us the privilege of voting to adequately fund our libraries.
And if anyone out there can join us for a public appearance at the important June 16 Supervisors budget meeting, in which we will presenting our desperate appeal to get a measure to find libraries on the ballot, please message me here.