"Help. They're threatening me with grievous harm. I need my friends to defend me, because I can't do it myself."
That's what the Salem Public Library would be saying, if it could speak. Since it can't, we library lovers have to do the speaking for the library.
The threat is real. City officials are planning to markedly slash the library budget again, after already making deep cuts in staffing, hours, and services.
NO MORE CUTS. That's the message from Jim Scheppke, retired State Librarian, and Lois Stark, a member of the Library Advisory Board, as you can read below. I've copied in an email they sent me and other supporters of the Salem Public Library.
Please take a few minutes and do one or more of their action items. If enough people stand up for the library, there's a good chance city officials and the City Council will rethink the very bad idea of inflicting additional ruinous budget cuts on the Salem Public Library.
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Dear Friends:
I am writing to you on behalf of myself and Lois Stark to ask for your help to prevent devastating cuts to our public library. As you may know I was privileged to serve as the State Librarian of Oregon for two decades. Lois Stark was a member of our Library Advisory Board serving several years as Chair.
Here’s the situation. Next Wednesday, April 17th, our City Manager will present his recommendation for the FY 2025 City budget. We have learned that his recommendation for the library will be something that has come to be known as “Option 1.” Here is what Option 1 would do beginning July 1st:
- Completely close the West Salem Branch Library after 67 years of operation.
- Layoff eight library employees in addition to the 7.35 positions eliminated last February. Several bilingual staff who were “last hired” would lose their jobs.
- Reduce the operating hours of the main library from 38 to 25-30 per week (3 or 4 days).
- Reduce library programs, including reading programs for children.
- Other unspecified cutbacks to library collections and services.
If Option 1 is approved by the Citizen Budget Committee, Salem will have by far the worst public library services in the state and the worst public library services of any capital city in the country. There are 16 public libraries in Oregon with operating hours between 25 and 30, but their average service area population is 3,009! Our library serves about 180,000 Salem residents as well as another 39,000 Keizer residents and many more out-of-city residents with borrowing privileges.
Imagine the working conditions for the skeleton crew of library staff when tens of thousands of library users are attempting to use the library on the few days the library is open? It’s unimaginable. There has probably never been another public library in the US that has attempted to serve a population of over 200,000 with a library open 3-4 days a week.
But we can stop this from happening.
What it will take is an outpouring of support for our library from everyone who cares. Our message: NO MORE CUTS. Our library services have suffered enough. Even today our two libraries are only open half the hours they were open two decades ago (48 compared to 96). Enough is enough. NO MORE CUTS.
Here is what you can do:
- Send written testimony to the Citizen Budget Committee for their meeting on April 17th. Address your email to <[email protected]>.
- Send an email to your City Councilor. All the Councilors are on the Citizen Budget Committee.
- Attend the Budget Committee meeting on Wednesday, April 17th. We will be rallying outside the Council Chambers beginning at 5:30. The meeting starts at 6.
- Sign-up for public comment at the Budget Committee meeting. Make your voice heard!
As some of you know, Salem Public Library used to be one of the best public libraries in Oregon. Now it is among the worst. And Option 1 would make it MUCH WORSE. We can’t let it happen without putting up a fight — a fight for our library workers and for our library services.
Please, please help Lois and me prevent this devastation of our library services. So much is at stake. Forward this to others who might help.
Thanks for listening!
Jim Scheppke and Lois Stark
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