Merced County Library funding critical in next county budget

On September 29 Merced County’s Board of Supervisors will be adopting a budget for fiscal year 2020-21 in light of reduced income caused by COVID-19.

Many residents of the county trust the supervisors provide sufficient funds for an important resource to everyone— the Merced County Library.

There are many important areas to be funded in the county budget, including law enforcement and fire protection, but the library should not be overlooked. Since March, when the pandemic shut many activities down throughout the county, the library has continued to function, became more innovative and provided a wider variety of important services— digitally and curbside.

Last spring and this fall, students of all ages in Merced County, often with the help of their parents, have had to learn remotely. During that time the library stepped up big to help.

Seven branches—Merced, Los Banos, Dos Palos, Atwater, Livingston, LeGrand, Hilmar and Delhi—have offered curbside services, enabling patrons to pick up books they had checked out online.

More importantly, the library offered to all patrons, wherever they lived in the county, expanded digital services, particularly valuable to students from pre- school to high school and beyond.

The library added or strengthened apps which help students of all ages, including Libby by OverDrive and Cloud Library, for e-books and e-audiobooks; Kanopy, for streaming movies and documentaries; Beanstack, for library reading challenges; and Pronunciator, for self-directed language courses, including ESL.

The library also added to their databases TumbleBooks (e-books for children infants to 17) and Gale Premium (to assist with research, school, and business growth).

In addition, the library provided virtual story times, gaining permissions from publishers to share material via internet platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Linktr.ee, Twitter and YouTube. And it provided programs by professional performers, to educate and entertain young children.

The county library continued to have a summer reading program — virtually — which enrolled more than 700 young readers, who read more than 11,000 books from June 6 to August 1. At the same time, the library’s 52 professional performances had more than 1,300 views, while its 54 library programs had more than 4,800 views.

Ironically, at a time when its doors have been closed, the Merced County Library has never been more needed and used. As students and parents have been trying to figure out the best way to learn from home, the library has stepped up with a wide spectrum of services and tools.

Overall, Merced County’s library, under Librarian Amy Taylor and her staff, has used the funds available to it wisely and efficiently. Not that it has that much funding to begin with. Statewide, the Merced County Library ranks No. 176 out of 188 library systems in the state, with an expenditure of $11.87 per capita, compared to a statewide average of $56 per capita.

All of this provides reasons why Merced County’s Board of Supervisors should keep the library in the forefront of their minds as a funding priority for the fiscal year ahead. The library can’t afford to sustain significant cuts to its budget and continue to help provide the services residents need more than ever.

I’m old enough to remember using the county library’s Merced branch when it was at its old location on M St. and the Los Banos branch when it used its indoor fireplace for fireside chats and readings.

The county library has provided my family, especially my children, with valuable, much-needed services. And it is now providing more services than ever, with staff members who are knowledgeable, friendly and dedicated to customer service.

I’m also old enough to remember when the county, in a previous recession, cut funding so drastically that that the library had to close, followed by enough residents digging into their pockets to donate funds to keep some branches open at least a few hours. The Merced County Library still hasn’t fully recovered from those cuts.

I know our current board of supervisors would never make cuts as drastic as that. But some may be tempted to reduce the library’s funding because, let’s face it, public libraries are often forgotten or overlooked as providing crucial services to county residents.

Like many others who are friends of the library branches throughout the county, either officially as members, or unofficially as supporters in spirit, I hope our board recognizes how important our library is to our county.

Many research studies have shown that an educated workforce is the key driver to economic success and an important indicator for companies thinking of locating or relocating to an area. Merced County needs to continue to increase its literacy rate and to help in the education of all its residents if it wants a brighter future, especially as it tries to recover from the COVID-19 slowdown. The county library is a key driver in this effort.

I trust the supervisors realize this later this month when they vote on the county’s budget and fund the county library appropriately.

John Spevak wrote this for the Los Banos Enterprise. His email is john.spevak@gmail.com.