A final try?
Supporters gear up for third attempt to create a local library district
By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer
Thursday, October 2, 2008 10:46 AM PDT
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| Tonya Ito, assistant librarian at Malheur County Library, processes books at her desk Wednesday afternoon. In November, voters will decide whether to support a library district to provide long-term funding for the library. |
ONTARIO — Perhaps the third time will be the charm for the Malheur County Library.
The November election will mark the third time supporters attempted to form a special district to operate the facility after the library ran into a financial hurdle several years ago.
The city of Ontario and Malheur County traditionally supported the library, but with those two entities facing their own urgent budget requirements, future funding for the library became uncertain.
Historically, voters showed support for a library district, but not in enough numbers to push the proposal to success.
Two previous attempts to form county-wide system, which would have supported public libraries in Vale and Nyssa, as well as the Ontario facility, failed. The new November blueprint is a scaled-down version of past plans, with the intent to form a library district within the boundaries of the Ontario School District, to include the rural areas around Ontario as well as the city.
Voters within those boundaries are being asked to approve a levy of $.55 per $1,000 of property value.
They will also be asked to approve a slate of board members who will serve only if the district is approved. Potential boardmembers are Sharon Jones, Donnaclaire Blankinship, Amy Couture, Audrey Jacobs and Joseph Debudge.
During the past few years, the city of Ontario furnished the lionsshare of funding for the facility, while Malheur County provided money for the bookmobile.
The bookmobile serves rural communities as well as makes in-town stops.
That service to those rural areas would stop if the district is passed, unless outside funding is provided.
“We’re trying to get out more information,” Darlyne Johnson, head librarian said, explaining the thrust of the campaign by the committee to support the library district. “We want to let people know.”
If the district is approved, the library will become an entity separate from the county or the city.
Despite the reduced number of hours of operation, the library continues to be a busy place.
Now open 27 hours per week, library district supporters say they hope to have the library open 50 hours or more per week with the new district.
“A lot more people are using the library,” Johnson said, adding the economy may have something to do with that. “A lot of people don’t have computers. So, they and their children come use ours.”
More people are checking out books and reading in the library, she said. People may not be able to buy their own books but can afford to check them out at the library, she said.
About 60,000 books were checked out last year, while 1,500 inter-library loans were made with other libraries in the region. About 2,000 books were added to the library, as well as 150 DVDs, CDs and children’s craft programs, which draw as many 60 to 100 people.
“People are doing genealogy,” Johnson said, using the newspapers and doing research in library’s Oregon Collection.
Diana Ewing, who has been a member of the committee working for the district formation, said, “All our libraries are very important. They are critical for our society.” She said she is disappointed the city or county cannot find a way to keep funding the Ontario facility and that the district may be the only way do it.
