Hundreds of Evanston families took to the streets Monday, protesting the proposed closing of the Evanston Library’s North and South Branches in the coming year. A recent plan to squeeze the projected $9.5 million budget deficit, inherited last year by Evanston’s new administration, includes branch library closings—to the shock of many neighbors who feel area children and fixed- or low-income residents are being punished for the city’s previous fiscal mismanagement.
Closing the North Branch, 2026 Central St., and South Branch, 949 Chicago Ave., could save the city a combined $292,100 to $425,458 in the 2010-11 fiscal year (the number has grown from its original estimate to that which was published in the budget memo of December 18; see www.cityofevanston.org/budget/)—less than 1% of the city’s budget and a meager amount in the eyes of residents who frequent the branch libraries weekly. In addition to obvious book access, the branches serve their communities with weekly programming for young children (Book Babies), after-school story time, computers for families that otherwise would not have access, and collaborate with local elementary schools on programs such as the current “Battle of the Books” contest that launches every January as well as the Summer Reading Program. Though school libraries are in place to serve student curriculum in many ways, they cannot supply several copies of every book that might be required for special reading projects, contests, or encouraged research projects.
Of the 36 city employees who received their layoff notification in December, 17 of them work for the Evanston Public Library. Most affected were librarians, and many who remain have been cut to part-time hours. Longtime librarians at the Children’s Room of the Main library have begun looking for additional hours at suburban libraries to no avail. Library hours of operation have also been amended in hopes of saving funds.
“Evanston should not close its branch libraries,” insisted civil rights attorney Edmund Moran, a longtime sixth ward alderman and current candidate for state representative. “They have existed for 90 years (South Branch) and almost 60 years (North Branch). They are integral to the fabric of Evanston. Young people and seniors go there because they frequently do not have the means to get to the Main Library. The branches are calm, welcoming places where ‘Everybody knows your name.’ Evanston is a community that is committed to learning and being informed. Closing the branches would signal that Evanston is not so committed anymore. We can’t let that happen.”
City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz has stated that the city is lucky to have a robust library system, illustrating the prominent, efficient nature of the Main Library downtown, 1703 Orrington Ave., and that sustaining the branch libraries is not a necessity. Many residents do not agree, citing the discriminatory nature of the closings.
“Not everyone has access to a car, money for parking, and certainly many of Evanston’s residents cannot afford to take public transportation to reach the Main Library on a regular basis,” remarked Larry Lundy, a South Branch patron. “Certainly, branch libraries do not serve every corner of the city, but they do allow for a tremendous amount of literary access and community-building opportunities for residents in both the northern and southern neighborhoods of Evanston.”
Four City of Evanston budget workshops were held in 2009 and it was here that participants identified to eliminate funding to the two branch libraries. Following the workshops, Bobkiewicz was able to reportedly obtain a firmer grasp of the community’s needs thanks to results of an online poll which asked participants for a just way to generate revenue and cut cost. Over 1,000 people responded to that poll. But thousands of surprised library patrons scratched their heads, never having heard a word about the poll nor having had a chance to voice their opinions. In response, over 1,300 residents, librarians, and local teachers have signed a petition to keep the branch libraries open. Further hope is that the branches might receive long-requested improvements and upgrades. Ripped furniture upholstery and peeling paint are commonplace at the branch libraries.
As Evanston’s government turns to close branch libraries as a sign of the times, residents find irony in the fact that libraries throughout the country have historically enjoyed increased usage during economic downtowns. The American Library Association supports these claims, noting its 2002 study with the University of Illinois Research Center (LRC) which highlights the increase in library usage in the wake of a recession. Between 2007 and 2009, Evanston Library usage was up 37 percent and only 13 percent of that fell to the Main Library—a building that is not on the foot path of any public school. Four public schools are within walking distance of the South Branch and six of the North Branch, enabling access to more than 4,000 children.
With more than $400,000 needed to fund the branches annually, some residents fear more the unknown budget cuts that lurk if doors remain open--fears that are hard to swallow following recent approved City upgrades including $700,000 obtained last year to renovate a small stretch of bike path along the lakefront and another $500,000 allocated for a new salt dome.
Is a solution possible? At a community meeting, one resident proposed moving to a different system—a Conversion of Tax Supported Public Library to Public Library District (Statute if 75 ILCS 16/ Article 10). The Conversion allows for a transfer of authority, freeing the library of the vicissitudes and stresses of annual city budget processes, and a model that is currently used in neighboring Wilmette. Other ideas have surfaced including the return of the Bookmobile—enabling limited library resource access to all Evanston neighborhoods, as well as the possible allocation of funding from $18 million in neighborhood stabilization funds landed by Evanston this past week. The award is to be used in two targeted census tracts (west Evanston and south Evanston) that have been identified as areas of need due to high foreclosures and vacancies. There is hope that some funds could be freed for renovation of the Evanston Library South Branch or invoke further discussion about the return of a West Branch, something Ald. Lionel Jean-Baptiste (2nd) has expressed an interest in seeing come to volition.
Residents have even come forward, now and in the past, offering to help fund renovations for the branches and assist in offsetting annual costs. “We were told a patron, in a bequest, left $50,000 to be used for improvements at the North Branch,” said resident Patti Crews. “We were hoping to see more computers and maybe quiet study rooms. Six schools are within walking distance of North Branch and we wanted the branch to be more useful to children who maybe don't have computers at home and can't easily get downtown. Quiet study rooms could be reserved so students could work on things like group projects in a safe, monitored atmosphere. I’m just not sure where that money went.”
Some supporters of the closings argue that suburbs do not generally have the luxury of branch libraries. Evanston, on the other hand, is much more densely populated than most suburbs with one of the most diverse socio-economic and racial climates in the country. And Evanstonians are passionate about their literacy. Perhaps the closest comparison can be found in Oak Park which boasts three branch libraries, but with roughly 40,000 fewer residents.
Evanston government seemed to be on the side of libraries until this past year, even funding a recent Central Street Master Plan which included the North Branch Library as an anchor in this business district. The Lakota Group was paid $250,000 for the plan.
Research supports the argument that regular library access leads to increased academic performance. State-by-state data released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in November 2007, published online at www.schoollibraryjournal.com, provides evidence of a strong, positive link between the amount of children’s materials circulated by public libraries and fourth-grade reading scores on the same agency’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The Urban Library Council, once housed in Evanston, furthers the stance by encouraging developers, planning professionals, elected officials, business and libraries leaders to think differently about the value of public libraries as unique and versatile partners in these human resource and community-building arenas—with the ability to profoundly impact local economic development conditions.
So what’s a reader to do?
“We kids are trying everything,” said six-year-old Matteo Mereu, a first-grader at Kingsley Elementary School. “I like going to the Main Library sometimes, when we can get there. It’s a lot of fun. But I can walk to this [North Branch] library from my house and on the way home from school. I get my stuff for ‘Battle of the Books’ here, and my A to Z Mysteries. I like chapter books now.” n