Hundreds of people have signed petitions. City Council members have been written and called. Bright pink flyers have been distributed to library supporters.
All of this in hopes of saving Lakewood Library and 12 other Dallas public library branches from becoming “popular” libraries.
The library restructuring proposal is a part of Dallas city manager Jan Hart’s $1.12 billion proposed City budget for the next fiscal year. If the City Council approves the budget, Lakewood Library will become a self-service, “popular” library.
However, Councilman Glenn Box vowed to oppose the library funding cuts at an August 20th town hall meeting at White Rock Pump Station. Box told a crowd of 325, many of whom were sporting “I Need The Dallas Public Library” patches, that he will vote to restore library funding during upcoming City Council debates concerning the proposed City budget.
Under the proposed budget, a “popular” library would be one in which one-third of the current collections and reference materials were removed, with one year’s worth of periodicals kept. The remaining reference books would be limited to encyclopedias and dictionaries.
The removed materials would be transferred to six fully functioning “branch” libraries, the closest of which is the Casa View branch. Lakewood Library’s collection would focus on best sellers, romance novels and other recreational books.
To convert to the new system, if approved, Lakewood Library would be closed for two weeks. Two full-time positions would be eliminated, with one of the persons splitting time between Lakewood and another facility.
Most affected would be children’s programs. Storytime, for children ages 3 to 5, is a popular weekly program that branch manager Betty Brown says is attended by 30 to 70 children.
“It is often (the children’s) first group contact outside the home. They learn listening skills and being quiet,” she says.
The Summer Reading Club has been the library’s most successful children’s program.
“It helps kids keep up reading skills in the summer,” Brown says. Participating children must complete 15 hours of reading to earn a certificate. Of the 600 children participating this summer, more than half completed the requirement and more than 100 children read more than 30 hours, Brown says.
“This is the best completion rate we’ve ever had,” she says.
Since the new budget would reduce personnel, staff produced programs concerning financial planning, insurance, taxes and senior citizens would be reduced or eliminated.
The budget proposal also jeopardizes the library’s annual art show.
“It takes staff time,” Brown says. “If we want to be able to continue it, the Lakewood Library Friends (a neighborhood group supporting the library with volunteer hours and funding) must do the whole thing.”
Brown says this year’s budget proposals culminate six years of City library budget cuts.
“It’s gotten worse and worse each year,” she says. “We were down to the bare bones, so all you can do is cut away at the vital parts.”
“Essentially, it (the change from branch to “popular” library) is a coping mechanism that hopefully won’t have to last. Because if it does, it will kill us.”
