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Add comment May 11th, 2007
Save our Library System
A campaign to save the Jackson County Library System has been organized. To see the many ways you can help, visit www.sols-yes.org.
10 comments April 6th, 2007
Open letter from author Gary Paulsen
“I would have been an intellectual idiot without the library. I was a miserable student and flunked the ninth grade and finally graduated from high school with probably a D-average. I had a miserable home life and would sell newspapers to the drunks at the local bars to make a little money. I went into a library one night in a small town in Northern Minnesota to get warm and the librarian asked me if I wanted something. I said, no, I just wanted to warm up a little.
At that point very few people had ever given me anything. Both my folks were drinking and it was a rough run. And then she said, “Do you want a library card?” So I said yeah. She handed me a card with my name on it–my name–which was amazing to me. And then she asked if I wanted a book. I said, “Sure,” kind of cocky. And she said to bring it back when I was done and she’d give me another one.
This went on for a long time. The librarian kept giving me books; at first it took me a month to read a book, then two weeks, then a week, and pretty soon I was reading two books a week. She’d give me Westerns and science fiction and every once in awhile she’d schlepp in a Melville. It saved me, it really did.
I still read like that, like I tell kids, like a wolf eats. I read myself to sleep every night. And I don’t think any of the good things that have happened to me would have been possible without that librarian and libraries in general.”
To learn more about Gary Paulsen and his books, click here.
Add comment April 4th, 2007
School kids raise funds to help libraries
Ashland Daily Tidings
April 3, 2007
As local library supporters wait to see if Washington D.C. can bail out underfunded Jackson County services, some of Ashland’s youngest activists are still fighting to keep the library open.
Add comment April 4th, 2007
CBS Early Show
The CBS Early Show features Jackson County closing libraries, exactly the opposite of the trend in the U.S.: most communities are investing to improve and expand libraries. View the video.
2 comments April 2nd, 2007
Final Days
Medford Mail Tribune
April 1, 2007
For Mary Carlon, Jackson County’s libraries closed Friday.
That was the day a library worker arrived to take away the Medford retiree’s last allotment of books in preparation for the final shuttering of all 15 branches at the end of the day Friday.
Carlon relies on an outreach program that delivers books and other materials each month to up to 800 blind, disabled and elderly people who are unable to go to a local library.
“It’s an awful loss,” said Carlon, a former first-grade teacher at Oak Grove Elementary who remembers taking her own students to the library. “I can’t imagine living in a community without libraries.”
…The closure of Jackson County’s library system represents the largest such action in the nation’s history, said Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the Washington, D.C., office of the American Library Association.
“This is the worst that there has ever been,” Sheketoff said.
Jackson County’s libraries are some of the newest in the nation, with 14 branches remodeled or rebuilt after voters approved a $38.9 million bond measure in 2000.
Sheketoff said libraries generally are expanding in most cities, offering greater Internet access, outreach to local community groups and increased access to audiotapes and films.
“And now you’re having Jackson County take a tremendous step backwards, said Sheketoff.
1 comment April 2nd, 2007
Senate extends timber funds
Medford Mail Tribune
March 29, 2007
A federal safety net that would help keep Jackson County’s libraries open received overwhelming support in the U.S. Senate Wednesday under a proposed five-year, $5 billion program.
“We had a huge victory today — there is no underestimating that,” said Jackson County Commissioner C.W. Smith.
The Senate voted 75-22 for emergency funding for more than 700 counties in 39 states that benefitted from the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act, passed in 2000 but not renewed last year. Jackson County would receive $23 million of the $425 million in the first year, about the same amount it received under the act.
In addition, counties would continue to receive money until 2011, but each year the amount would be ratcheted down by 10 percent in Oregon.
The county payments money is part of an appropriations package that President Bush has threatened to veto because it sets a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq.
Smith praised Sen. Ron Wyden’s efforts in pushing through the county payments, but feared it could be subject to change as it goes through a conference with House and Senate leaders next week.
“We still have a series of hurdles to clear,” he said….
Commissioner Smith said it is too premature to discuss a timetable to reopen libraries after their closure at the end of the day on April 6.
“I’ve never anticipated the libraries would stay closed for long,” he said.
If the county payments are reauthorized, Smith said the county budget committee will reconvene to discuss reopening libraries.
Commissioner Dave Gilmour said that if the money is reauthorized he will push for full funding of libraries and the reopening of all 15 branches as soon as possible.
Add comment March 29th, 2007
The Closing of the Library (poem)
One by one they fall silent
Hamlet in mid-question: To be, or
Molly Bloom before she says Yes
And the author, met by chance, who would have
Spoken the missing words, and changed a child’s life
One by one they drop into the dark
The drawings of Michelangelo
Ansel Adam’s pages of captured light
Albums of the most antique rockets
And the most modern dinosaurs, gone
This is a choice we make today, uncompelled
To spend our money on something else
Instead of books, or the public good
We choose the private thing
The silent, and the dark
Then words return, and I remember:
“Do not go gentle into that good night
Rage, rage against the dying of the light”
Books have a loud and soundless speech
And light that comes from their light alone
So as each book is a written-out hope
For remembrance and mercy and understanding
And each library is a promise to the child and to the town
So I must believe that no book is forever closed
And that every library will, tomorrow, open
Pepper Trail
written in the Ashland Public Library
March 23, 2007
4 comments March 23rd, 2007
U. S. House approves bill
U.S. HOUSE VOTES ON EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL.
In a close vote, 218-212, the U.S. House of Representatives today approved the emergency supplemental spending bill. The $124 billion measure contains $400 million for a one-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. All four Oregon House Democrats voted for the measure. Republican Greg Walden voted against it. His office is going to issue a release later today so watch this space for an update. The measure is very controversial because of language concerning the Iraq war. President Bush has said he will veto the measure if it reaches his desk with the current language about the war. Read more….
On the Senate side, Senator Wyden is planning to introduce his amendment for a multi-year extension of Secure Rural Schools to the supplemental on Monday.
Add comment March 23rd, 2007
Voice of America: Small towns face losing their libraries
Voice of America News 
March 21, 2007
A community in southern Oregon is bracing for the very real possibility that its entire library system will soon be closing down…..The potential countywide shutdown in southern Oregon is thought to be the largest mass library closing in American history. Read more….
Add comment March 23rd, 2007
Popular storytelling programs end
Ills for Literacy
Medford Mail Tribune
March 23, 2007
Families soon will see an end to several popular literacy programs, even though they’re funded by private and nonprofit sources rather than county money. The Jackson County Library Foundation must suspend its programs, including Storyteller @ Your Library, Babies in the Library and summer reading, when libraries close April 6…..Read more……
Add comment March 23rd, 2007
ALA president releases statement on looming closures
CHICAGO – The U.S. Congress failed to renew the Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Act, which provided a $400 million annual subsidy to 41 states. The cut in federal funding has left 15 libraries serving Jackson County, Oregon, with a $7 million deficit– nearly 80 percent of the system’s budget. American Library Association (ALA) President Leslie Burger released the following statement regarding the looming closure of Jackson County’s libraries.
“I understand that the loss of federal funding has placed Jackson County in a very difficult position, but closing its libraries on April 7 is not the answer. Libraries are so much more than bricks and mortar. They are places where everyone - regardless of age, race or income - can come together, whether it’s for entertainment, self-help or to find their place in the community.
“Free access to the books, ideas, resources and information in America’s libraries is imperative for all in our nation who desire a better quality of life. Last year alone there were more than 1.4 million items checked out from Jackson County libraries. The libraries receive more than 3,000 visits per day from community members who take advantage of homework help programs, free Internet access, and the many social and education programs the library offers.
“Libraries in America are cornerstones of the communities they serve and foster opportunities for economic growth. Libraries encourage business development, and help to retain and create jobs. They serve as an important link to the business community, assisting with job creation and training programs, as well as assisting with business development initiatives. For many small businesses the library provides research resources and staff they could not otherwise afford.
“Studies from Florida and South Carolina show libraries are not only a public good – but also an economic good – for communities. A 2004 Florida study found that libraries create jobs, increased gross regional product and increased wages. Florida public libraries return $6.54 for every $1 invested.
“It is not too late for the community in Jackson County to invest in their libraries. The community has a chance to save its libraries by voting on a property tax levy this May. The cost to the average homeowner would be a little over $9 per month, less than the cost of a DVD or CD.”
Additional information regarding Jackson County library closures can be found at www.jcls.org
Add comment March 22nd, 2007
Will the funds from the library levy be dedicated to the library?
Since you asked: Take the library to the levy.
Medford Mail Tribune
March 22, 2007
Please help. I am confused. I understand there will be a library levy on the ballot this May. I heard that the levy funds, if passed, will be exclusively for the libraries. I also have heard that these funds may actually be put to other use at the county commissioners’ discretion. Can you clear this up for me? Thanks.
– Liz N., Medford
Technically, if the three-year library levy passes in May, the additional tax revenue could be used for other Jackson County departments.
But the members of the county’s board of commissioners have pledged to earmark the funds for library operations only, said Commissioner C.W. Smith. While commissioners unanimously agreed in February to safeguard taxes raised by the library levy, they can’t guarantee the actions of future boards, Smith said. But, the levy only lasts three years so there’s an excellent chance it would stick with the library.
To read the entire Medford Mail Tribune article, click here.
Add comment March 22nd, 2007
The library changed my life…
Last spring, Woman’s Day magazine asked readers to send in stories about how the library impacted their life. 2,000 heartfelt, touching, and funny entries were received, proving that a library isn’t just a place to go to check out books. Click here to read some of these inspiring stories.
1 comment March 14th, 2007
Largest library closure in U. S. looms
San Francisco Chronicle
Federal funding dries up, leaving 15 branches in Oregon county on brink
Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, March 4, 2007
(03-04) 04:00 PST Medford, Ore. –Pat Hardy hefted two book bags stuffed with “cozy murder mysteries” through the snow to Ella Fitzsimmons’ front door at the Blue Spruce Mobile Estates trailer park.
”I brought you extra, because this will be your last delivery,” said Hardy, who has been bringing the bloodless whodunits to the homebound 78-year-old every month for the last several years.
Fitzsimmons’ literary lifeline will be cut April 7, when Jackson County in southern Oregon shuts down its entire public library system. read more…
4 comments March 5th, 2007
Library Levy Information
Why will a local option levy to fund the libraries be on the May ballot?
Jackson County expected Congress to renew funding for the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act ( Public Law 106-393) to supplement locally collected revenues. Those federal funds made up more than one third of the county’s general fund non-dedicated operating revenue. Congress failed to pass legislation to renew funding. Jackson County’s first concern is to provide mandated and basic services like health and safety. After providing enough money necessary for supporting such things, Jackson County does not have enough money left to support its libraries.
What would passage of the funding measure provide?
The proposed local option tax measure is intended to operate our public libraries at current levels for three years, long enough to give Jackson County decision makers and the community the time necessary to develop permanent funding and operation solutions. This levy is not for enhancement of services. It is to keep branches open at current levels and continue basic library functions. Current public library services are:
- Library services for young and school-aged children and teens – story hours, homework help, summer reading, book delivery to children in daycare;
- 15 branches open;
- Services to seniors, including computer classes and book delivery for those who are homebound;
- Library services for job seekers, small business owners, and English language learners;
- Buying new books, magazines and other library materials;
- Help to find information in the library and online, a reference collection, access to electronic subscription resources;
- Internet access computers to use in the library;
- Inter-library loan service;
- Community meeting rooms
How are our libraries used?
Each day:
- Over 3,000 people visit Jackson County libraries
- 800 of them use the library’s computer workstations
- 770 more use the library catalog and databases from home
Each year
- People borrow 1,445,000 items
- The library adds 40,000 new books
- Librarians answer 220,000 questions
- Children in the summer reading programs read 63,000 books
- The library hosts 4,200 community meetings
What would the levy cost?
The maximum tax under this levy would be 66 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. Assessed value is much less than real market value. According to the County Assessor, the average assessed value for a single family home in Jackson County is $167,000. The cost to the average homeowner would be approximately $9 per month, or $110.22 per year.
What would be the result of a “No” vote?
All Jackson County Library branches will close on April 6, 2007. In the event of a “No” vote, the libraries would remain closed for lack of operating funds until an alternative solution is reached.
1 comment March 1st, 2007
Library crisis prompts town hall forums in Ruch, Medford
Because of severe budget reductions all 15 branches of the Jackson County Library System will close on April 6, 2007.
A public meeting to air concerns and take public comment on the imminent closure of the Jackson County libraries was held at the Ruch Branch Library on Saturday, February 24. Another Town Hall Forum will be held in Medford to voice opinions and concerns regarding the library crisis on March 5 at 5:45 pm in the large community meeting room of the Central Library, 205 S. Central. Why is the library important to you? What role does it play in your family and what will you do when the libraries are closed? This is your chance to express how libraries impact you and your community. The Library Town Hall Forum will be broadcast live on Rogue Valley Community Television (RVTV), Channels 9 and 14. Call 774-6572 for more information.
5 comments February 16th, 2007
Important information for library patrons
Library Closure
All 15 public libraries in Jackson County will be closed as of April 7, due to a lack of funding. Libraries will be open on April 6 only for in-library use, and to receive returned materials. Libraries will close at their usual times on Friday, April 6.
Due Dates
Materials due before April 6 must be returned or renewed by their assigned due dates. All library materials must be returned on or before April 6.
Overdue Materials
Materials returned after April 6 will incur fines at the rate of 20¢ per day per item. Materials still overdue as of May 18 will be assumed to be lost, and patrons will be billed for overdue fines and replacement costs. Unpaid bills in excess of $25 will be sent to a materials recovery (collection) agency.
Holds
Hold requests will not be accepted after March 21. Hold requests which have not been filled by April 5 will be deleted. Patrons may wish to make a record of their current request list, so that requests can be replaced if the library reopens.
Checkout Limits
Beginning on March 1, patrons will be limited to having a total of 30 items checked out. Patrons already at or above the 30 item limit on March 1 will need to return the appropriate number of items in order to check out new materials.
Patron Account Queries
Until April 6 library staff will be happy to assist patrons with questions. After April 6, phone calls placed to any library will be forwarded to someone qualified to respond.
Meeting Rooms
While the libraries are closed meeting rooms will not be available for use.
The Future of the Library
Library Funding: A three year local option levy, to provide funding for Jackson County public libraries, has been placed on ballot for the May 15, 2007 election.
Public Hearings
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will take public comment, regarding funding for libraries, at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, May 2, 2007, at 1:30 p.m., in the County Courthouse Auditorium located at 10 South Oakdale, Medford, Oregon.
Keep Your Library Card! It will be valid if the libraries reopen in the future.
1 comment February 14th, 2007
How much would the levy cost me?
On February 7, 2007 the Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted to place a local option levy on the May ballot.
If successful, the levy would fund library operations at their current level for three years. The levy would require property owners to pay 66 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The levy would add $110.22 in taxes annually on a house with an assessed value of $167,000, the county average. (The assessed value of a home is much less than the real market value. For instance, my house has a real market value of $200,000 but it’s assessed value is only $90,000. To find the cost of the levy to me, I multiply 90 by .66 and find it would cost me $59.40 per year, or about $5 per month). Check the assessed value of your property here. To check how much you can save by using your library, click here: Library Calculator.
The levy would also need a double-majority to be successful. This means 50 percent of registered voters must turn out for the election and a majority of those must vote yes for a property tax to pass in a non-general election.
The three-year levy would raise $8.3 million to fund Jackson County’s library system, which is closing April 6 because Congress failed to renew the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act.
9 comments February 8th, 2007