Atherton library would be open more hours at less cost under alternative plans

By JENNIFER DESAI

While Atherton's City Council will not take action to decide who will run its town library until September, library patrons packed a July 29 study session to say they wanted as few visible changes to the system as possible.

"Basically, we're here because the county wants to put itself out of the library business," said Mayor Malcolm Dudley, explaining the Joint Powers Agreement which, if accepted, will take over administration and funding for 11 libraries that have been part of the financially strapped county system.

Since May, when City Manager Don Guluzzy said that the JPA favored larger cities' libraries at the expense of the smaller ones, he has been considering a variety of options. Among those presented at the study session were running the library as an independent entity, with town employees; contracting with Redwood City to administer library services; or contracting with a private company, Library Systems and Services Inc. of Germantown, Maryland, to run the library.

Councilman Bob Huber posed a key question: "I just want to know: From a user's perspective, what differences would I see in each option? It's clear we like the programs we have; so what will change?"

Replied Mr. Guluzzy: "I see it as having more of what we've got, but we'll be open more hours. For half a million dollars, we can do better."

Mr. Guluzzy estimated that if the town operated its library independently, the library could remain open several more hours a week and still still save almost $42,000.

Currently, the library is open 45 hours a week and it's closed Sunday.

All the options include Sunday hours. Redwood City estimated that it could operate the library for $38,000 less than present costs, and stay open an additional five hours per week. LSSI's bid promised $41,034 in savings, with the library open 13 hours more hours a week.

Most public comment at the study session stressed the personal relationship patrons have formed over the years with library staff, and their anxiety that a private company might lay off staff members.

Doris Starr, who praised the library's children's programming, said "I'd hate to see a change in the staff here. The library could be bigger, but I don't think it could be better."

In all, about 15 people spoke specifically about their and their children's interactions with the staff, and wondered if librarians from outside the community could replicate what they described as the "family atmosphere" of the library.

"I think I should have come here with a bulletproof vest," joked George Bateman, director of sales for LSSI. "Hey, we're librarians at the company. We've never laid off a librarian when the public recommended that we hire her."

But Mary Spore-Alhadef, a Redwood City librarian and union representative, said it didn't matter whether LSSI laid librarians off: with limited benefits and no seniority, librarians would rather stay with the county system than join a private company, she said.

Penny Darwin, a San Mateo County resident, said that she opposed using a private company to run the library on philosophical grounds. "Libraries are the purest example of why we pay taxes," she said to the sound of applause. "Even Bill Gates couldn't reproduce what we have in our public library system; no one person can own that."