$5-Million Library Windfall to Mean New Publications

Orange County public libraries, hard hit during last year’s county budget crisis, are expected to get $5 million in a one-time windfall that will allow cash-strapped branches to buy new books and magazines, according to budget reports released Wednesday.

County officials said the money would not be enough to restore full-time operating hours at the 27 libraries, many of which have been forced to cut operations two days each week.

But county Librarian John M. Adams said the money would allow the struggling system to overcome some of the “most serious problems” facing local libraries in the next 18 months.

“This is very helpful, a bright side,” Adams said.

If the recommended funding is approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Adams said he will earmark slightly more than $4 million to buy new books and renew thousands of periodical subscriptions.

The money will also buy new fax machines for all local branches and help pay for the new Rancho Santa Margarita branch scheduled to open in September, Adams said.

“This is great news,” County Budget Director Ronald S. Rubino said.

The library recommendations were outlined in the county’s Mid-Year Budget Report.

Overall, the report presents a more hopeful financial picture for Orange County government with sales tax revenue on the rise. But unemployment trends remain high by local standards, leaving the county mired along with the rest of California in a slow economic recovery process.

“The 5.6% unemployment rate for Orange County, although low in comparison to the state or other Southern California counties, is higher than it has been since the mid-1980s,” the report states.

Rubino said most of the new money for libraries was made available only recently when the county was able to borrow money to make up for delinquent property taxes. The $5 million for the libraries is part of an $8-million windfall from the loan.

Rubino said the remaining funds will provide $2.6 million to the County Flood Control District and $500,000 to the county harbors, beaches and parks department.

The bulk of the money, however, was being reserved for libraries, which suffered an overall 44% reduction during last year’s round of budget cuts.

Many of those cuts were forced by a statewide shift of $2.6 billion in local property taxes to pay for California public education needs.

As a result, local libraries began cutting hours July 1. The overall book budget was cut by 75%.

With the exception of the system’s regional branches in Irvine, Garden Grove and San Juan Capistrano, which now operate on five-day workweeks, all libraries have been placed on four-day schedules.