Recently I downloaded some interesting statistics compiled in 2007 by the California State Library about public libraries that have about the same population served by the Goleta Library--70,000-100,000. The Goleta Library is supposed to serve a population of 90,000. The State Library numbers are for the fiscal year 2005-2006. Of course, the budget statistics can't be compared in total with those of the Goleta Library because I assume that the libraries listed have a head librarian. Goleta Library is administered by the Santa Barbara Public Library Director under contract with the City of Goleta, and does not need to pay the salary that a library director would command.
Total Operating Income
Highest: Carlsbad $9,409,443 Population: 98,607 (1 central library, 2 branches)
Lowest: Lompoc $1,125,923 Population: 71,676 (1 central library, 2 branches)
Goleta: $941,066 with $192,603 from reserves Total: $1,133,669
Total Materials Budget
Highest: Carlsbad $877,500
Lowest: Murrieta $44,785 Population: 92,933
Goleta: $96,000
Total Circulation
Highest: Newport Beach 1,443,078 Population: 83,361 (1 central library, 3 branches)
Lowest: Murrieta 138,882
Goleta: 564,695
Circulation Per Capita
Highest: Mountain View 19.96 Population: 71,995
Lowest: Murrieta 1.49
Goleta: 6.27
Reference Questions
Highest: Carlsbad 206,934; per capita 2.10
Lowest: Murrieta 17,177; per capita 0.18
Goleta: 25,002; per capita 0.28
Professional Librarians
Highest: Carlsbad 30.70 full time equivalent
Lowest: Sutter County 1.00 FTE Population 91,450 (1 central library, 4 branches)
Goleta: 2 FTE
Internet Computers
Highest: Santa Monica 132; 1.45 per 1000 population Population 90,750 (1 central library, 3 branches)
Lowest: Murrieta 5; 0.05 per 1000 population
Goleta: 8; 0.09 per 1000 population
You may have noticed that the Murrieta Public Library appears often as the lowest. If you explore their web site you will find out that the city has experienced recent rapid growth and is in the midst of building a big new library.
The figures for Goleta were supplied by the Goleta branch manager when I posed the request as a reference question.
Our library performs well considering the less than adequate financial support.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Monday, October 1, 2007
The Library We Deserve
Recently I was exploring the City of Goleta web site and discovered some interesting documents regarding the Goleta Library. One in particular grabbed my attention. It is called Background Report No. 4, Library Services. [UPDATE: Since this was posted the City of Goleta seems to have removed the document from its web site. If anyone wishes the full text please contact me by email.]
This report was written in 2003 as part of the research for the Goleta General Plan. Here are some facts library users should know. (Bold text supplied by me.)
"The Goleta library opened at 500 N. Fairview Avenue on January 28, 1973 and has remained virtually unchanged."
"The Goleta library is popular and heavily used. As of June 2003, 34,562 people held library cards where the Goleta branch is their nearest library. And, in the same month, the 'gate count' indicated that 29,303 people had entered the library. In addition, the library is frequently used by many people who work in Goleta, but live in other areas. Commuters from Ventura, Oxnard, Lompoc, Santa Maria and other cities use the library on their lunch hour and after work."
"The number of volumes, which includes all types of materials in addition to books, is estimated at 90,000.. This equates to .96 volumes per capita for the Goleta area, based on a population of 86,539. [Footnote: The nationwide average for public libraries is 2.8, according to the National Center for Education Statistics "Public Libraries Survey Highlights."
"In 1999 the County commissioned an AB 1600 Fee Justification Study which was performed by David Taussig and Associates. A part of that study focused on the Goleta library facility. The study concluded that the facility had a current deficit of 155,855 volumes and needed an additional 26,330 square feet of space at an estimated cost of $6,281,716 (1998 dollars). It also estimated that an additional 22,547 volumes and an additional 3,809 square feet at a cost of $908,666 (1998 dollars) would be required for new development, assuming a 'build-out' scenario in the Goleta Planning Area of 30,028 equivalent dwelling units (EDU's)."
This means as long ago as 1999 it was known the library was insufficient in volumes and space. Why is it taking so long for this situation to be remedied? Part of the reason is that most people didn't know about the deficiencies. Probably the library users who want all the newest books and place early requests noticed that the copies they borrowed came from other libraries. Some people may have noticed that the shelves of new books were a bit sparse. Some people may have noticed that there weren't as many books on tape, videos, and DVDs as they would like.
I am not usually one of those people. I am not as interested in best sellers and have my favorite authors for whom I request their latest books. But I did notice that four books I checked out recently at Goleta were not purchased by the Goleta Library. They are:
Gordon, Alan. The Lark's Lament.
Sedley, Kate. The Three Kings of Cologne.
Dickinson, David. Death on the Nevskii Prospekt.
Davis, Lindsey. Saturnalia.
By the way, I recommend all these authors, especially if you like historical mysteries. I paid 50 cents each for the privilege of borrowing these titles from another library--cheap at the price. It does not begin to cover the cost of the library's getting these books for me. If those books had been purchased by the library, more borrowers would have spotted them on the shelves for new books and enjoyed them.
These observations do not mean that the library is terrible. I think that the library administration is doing the best they can under difficult circumstances. Remember, you can't buy books without funds. These observations mean that we could do better, and I think Goletans deserve better.
This report was written in 2003 as part of the research for the Goleta General Plan. Here are some facts library users should know. (Bold text supplied by me.)
"The Goleta library opened at 500 N. Fairview Avenue on January 28, 1973 and has remained virtually unchanged."
"The Goleta library is popular and heavily used. As of June 2003, 34,562 people held library cards where the Goleta branch is their nearest library. And, in the same month, the 'gate count' indicated that 29,303 people had entered the library. In addition, the library is frequently used by many people who work in Goleta, but live in other areas. Commuters from Ventura, Oxnard, Lompoc, Santa Maria and other cities use the library on their lunch hour and after work."
"The number of volumes, which includes all types of materials in addition to books, is estimated at 90,000.. This equates to .96 volumes per capita for the Goleta area, based on a population of 86,539. [Footnote: The nationwide average for public libraries is 2.8, according to the National Center for Education Statistics "Public Libraries Survey Highlights."
"In 1999 the County commissioned an AB 1600 Fee Justification Study which was performed by David Taussig and Associates. A part of that study focused on the Goleta library facility. The study concluded that the facility had a current deficit of 155,855 volumes and needed an additional 26,330 square feet of space at an estimated cost of $6,281,716 (1998 dollars). It also estimated that an additional 22,547 volumes and an additional 3,809 square feet at a cost of $908,666 (1998 dollars) would be required for new development, assuming a 'build-out' scenario in the Goleta Planning Area of 30,028 equivalent dwelling units (EDU's)."
This means as long ago as 1999 it was known the library was insufficient in volumes and space. Why is it taking so long for this situation to be remedied? Part of the reason is that most people didn't know about the deficiencies. Probably the library users who want all the newest books and place early requests noticed that the copies they borrowed came from other libraries. Some people may have noticed that the shelves of new books were a bit sparse. Some people may have noticed that there weren't as many books on tape, videos, and DVDs as they would like.
I am not usually one of those people. I am not as interested in best sellers and have my favorite authors for whom I request their latest books. But I did notice that four books I checked out recently at Goleta were not purchased by the Goleta Library. They are:
Gordon, Alan. The Lark's Lament.
Sedley, Kate. The Three Kings of Cologne.
Dickinson, David. Death on the Nevskii Prospekt.
Davis, Lindsey. Saturnalia.
By the way, I recommend all these authors, especially if you like historical mysteries. I paid 50 cents each for the privilege of borrowing these titles from another library--cheap at the price. It does not begin to cover the cost of the library's getting these books for me. If those books had been purchased by the library, more borrowers would have spotted them on the shelves for new books and enjoyed them.
These observations do not mean that the library is terrible. I think that the library administration is doing the best they can under difficult circumstances. Remember, you can't buy books without funds. These observations mean that we could do better, and I think Goletans deserve better.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
The Library Needs Money
Yesterday evening the Goleta City Council met to decide, among other things, whether to raise the special library tax by 3.5%. The resolution passed. The council members made some positive comments about the library. Jim Downing, Goleta's representative on the county library committee, asked that the increase be doubled. The response was that the council was prohibited by Proposition 218 from increasing the tax more than the cost of living.
The city's budget for 2007-2008 projects revenue from the library special tax to be $212,843.
Here is a quote from the document online (see the link above) which gives background on the resolution:
"However, overall costs for the upkeep and maintenance of library operations and the facility continue to run at a deficit. The aging building continues to require expensive repairs, including a new roof scheduled to be installed this year, which will cost around $100,000. Staff will return to Council shortly to address the concern over the library budget and service levels, and discuss potential solutions to the deficit problem."
On July 17 the County Board of Supervisors approved an increase of the special library tax for the unincorporated areas served by the Goleta Library. This increase was projected to bring in $158,087.
Last spring when I met with the Santa Barbara Library Director who administers the Goleta Library I was informed that the County of Santa Barbara pays $6.21 per capita to fund county libraries. The Goleta Library is supposed to serve approximately 90,000 people. If my calculations are correct that should provide $558,900.
That makes a total of $929,830 in revenues.
BUT, in March I asked the Goleta librarian for statistics on the Goleta budget. The projected expenses for FY2007 amounted to $1,153,008. This means a deficit of $223,178!
Okay, I'm sure that the finances are more complicated than I have outlined. These figures may not be accurate. I have tried to get the facts from online documents and by asking the librarians. Corrections and comments are welcome
So, what does a librarian do when expenditures exceed income? One seeks further financial support or one cuts services. Librarians hate to cut services. Service is what librarians live for.
As property owners in Goleta my husband and I pay $19.63 a year for the special library tax. There are three people living in our home. Therefore the county pays $18.63 a year for our library service. That means we pay $38.26 a year for the privilege of using our library.
You may say, "Well, that buys 1 book." The irony of it is that only about $30,000 of tax money goes to the books and materials fund for the library. The Friends of the Library raise about $40,000 a year to add to that amount. However, even if the book fund was increased there might not be enough room to shelve the new purchases.
To me, it is a disgrace that the library doesn't get enough financial support. In a subsequent entry I will explore what others have said on the topic.
The city's budget for 2007-2008 projects revenue from the library special tax to be $212,843.
Here is a quote from the document online (see the link above) which gives background on the resolution:
"However, overall costs for the upkeep and maintenance of library operations and the facility continue to run at a deficit. The aging building continues to require expensive repairs, including a new roof scheduled to be installed this year, which will cost around $100,000. Staff will return to Council shortly to address the concern over the library budget and service levels, and discuss potential solutions to the deficit problem."
On July 17 the County Board of Supervisors approved an increase of the special library tax for the unincorporated areas served by the Goleta Library. This increase was projected to bring in $158,087.
Last spring when I met with the Santa Barbara Library Director who administers the Goleta Library I was informed that the County of Santa Barbara pays $6.21 per capita to fund county libraries. The Goleta Library is supposed to serve approximately 90,000 people. If my calculations are correct that should provide $558,900.
That makes a total of $929,830 in revenues.
BUT, in March I asked the Goleta librarian for statistics on the Goleta budget. The projected expenses for FY2007 amounted to $1,153,008. This means a deficit of $223,178!
Okay, I'm sure that the finances are more complicated than I have outlined. These figures may not be accurate. I have tried to get the facts from online documents and by asking the librarians. Corrections and comments are welcome
So, what does a librarian do when expenditures exceed income? One seeks further financial support or one cuts services. Librarians hate to cut services. Service is what librarians live for.
As property owners in Goleta my husband and I pay $19.63 a year for the special library tax. There are three people living in our home. Therefore the county pays $18.63 a year for our library service. That means we pay $38.26 a year for the privilege of using our library.
You may say, "Well, that buys 1 book." The irony of it is that only about $30,000 of tax money goes to the books and materials fund for the library. The Friends of the Library raise about $40,000 a year to add to that amount. However, even if the book fund was increased there might not be enough room to shelve the new purchases.
To me, it is a disgrace that the library doesn't get enough financial support. In a subsequent entry I will explore what others have said on the topic.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Fond Memories
It was in 1964 that I first visited the Goleta Library as a UCSB student. It was in a little storefront on a corner of the shopping center on South Fairview Avenue. Later that space was used for the Municipal Court. Then the library moved to another larger storefront in the same building.
In 1967 during the final months of library school at UCLA I applied for a librarian position with the Santa Barbara Public Library and asked to work in one of the branches. After training in the Central Library and the branch I was appointed Goleta branch supervisor. It was great fun working in the store front and there was a cheerful, competent staff. Two of our patrons were Sue Grafton and Judge Joseph Lodge. In 1972 ground was broken for a new building at 500 North Fairview, the branch’s present location. The building was completed in January, 1973 and we moved in.
The move was accomplished using a small van. Book carts were loaded from shelves in the old library keeping the books in Dewey order. The van drove to the new location, unloaded and returned to the old site to load new carts that had been prepared by some of the staff there. Meanwhile the staff in the new building shelved the books. It went pretty well although some of the carts tipped in transit (exuberance on the part of young drivers?).
There was a big space to fill with books and the whole year before the move we had been ordering extra books. Those had been placed in storage and were transported to be inter-shelved with the books we had just moved.
Three days after our grand opening I retired. It was a 22 year hiatus which was filled with raising a family. In April, 1995 I returned to work part-time in the library I love. The physical and emotional stresses of such a busy library led me to leave after 2 1/2 years, but I continued part-time library work at the Central Library until 2003 when I retired a second time.
When I was branch supervisor I remember that it was a big month when we had over 20,000 items checked out. In 2006 the highest monthly circulation was 56,606.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Busy Library
The Goleta Branch Library serves a population of about 90,000, many more than the population of the City of Goleta.
In the fiscal year ending June 2006 the Goleta Library checked out 564,695 items. That’s a lot of items for a library that serves around 90,000 people.
The reference desk deals with about 24,000 questions a year. That includes phone calls and helping people who come into the library. The number doesn’t include questions like “Has my requested book come in yet?”
If the library doesn’t have the book, DVD, etc. that you want you can place a hold through the online catalog. You can even do this at home and after library hours. The Goleta Library filled 27,471 holds in 2006. If the Black Gold system to which Goleta belongs doesn’t have what you want you can request an interlibrary loan from outside the BG system.
These statistics were furnished by the Goleta branch supervisor at my request.
To give an idea of how useful the library is, let me tell you how in other ways I make use of it. A few years ago I decided it would be fun to read all the mysteries I could find that were set in the Middle Ages.
First of all, I used the online catalog to discover subject headings that would lead me to such books. Then I accessed a database available through the library’s web site, NoveList. There I could search using their subjects. Then I searched the catalog for the titles that I could not find on the library shelves and placed holds. I found 16 authors that I liked; there were others I didn’t much like. Then I branched out to other historical periods using the same methods. This was my reading entertainment for 2 years.
Other online databases are also useful. I use Biography Resource Center to read about authors and their books. If I want to refresh my memory about a news item I use the newspaper databases. If I want a magazine article on a certain topic I use Info Trac/General Reference Gold.
The best part about the online databases is that I can access them any time of day or night. Also I don’t need to travel to the library to use them.
In the fiscal year ending June 2006 the Goleta Library checked out 564,695 items. That’s a lot of items for a library that serves around 90,000 people.
The reference desk deals with about 24,000 questions a year. That includes phone calls and helping people who come into the library. The number doesn’t include questions like “Has my requested book come in yet?”
If the library doesn’t have the book, DVD, etc. that you want you can place a hold through the online catalog. You can even do this at home and after library hours. The Goleta Library filled 27,471 holds in 2006. If the Black Gold system to which Goleta belongs doesn’t have what you want you can request an interlibrary loan from outside the BG system.
These statistics were furnished by the Goleta branch supervisor at my request.
To give an idea of how useful the library is, let me tell you how in other ways I make use of it. A few years ago I decided it would be fun to read all the mysteries I could find that were set in the Middle Ages.
First of all, I used the online catalog to discover subject headings that would lead me to such books. Then I accessed a database available through the library’s web site, NoveList. There I could search using their subjects. Then I searched the catalog for the titles that I could not find on the library shelves and placed holds. I found 16 authors that I liked; there were others I didn’t much like. Then I branched out to other historical periods using the same methods. This was my reading entertainment for 2 years.
Other online databases are also useful. I use Biography Resource Center to read about authors and their books. If I want to refresh my memory about a news item I use the newspaper databases. If I want a magazine article on a certain topic I use Info Trac/General Reference Gold.
The best part about the online databases is that I can access them any time of day or night. Also I don’t need to travel to the library to use them.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Our Library
The Goleta Library is very close to my heart. I go there once a week to pick up books and DVDs. The library belongs to the City of Goleta, but it is a part of a wonderful library system administered by the Santa Barbara Public Library.
The library provides many services to our community besides lending books and other materials, including:
*Meeting rooms for organizations
*Art displays
*Informational displays by groups
*Story times and other children's programs
*Summer Reading Program
*Reference service
*Internet access for those without computers
The library provides many services to our community besides lending books and other materials, including:
*Meeting rooms for organizations
*Art displays
*Informational displays by groups
*Story times and other children's programs
*Summer Reading Program
*Reference service
*Internet access for those without computers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
