Pleasanton library staff outline collection plan as proposed budget would cut collections by roughly half

Pleasanton library staff reviewed the draft collection development plan for fiscal year 2025–26 at the June 5 Library Commission meeting and told commissioners that a proposed city budget includes a potential 50% cut to the collections budget.

“The proposed budget includes a 50% reduction in collections,” Library staff said, noting that final allocations could not be set until the fiscal year closes on June 30 and the city budget is adopted. Staff presented usage and cost patterns for physical and digital collections using fiscal year 2023–24 data and explained why digital resources can appear costly relative to checkouts.

Staff said physical collections (children’s and adult materials, DVDs and library of things) and digital subscriptions (ebooks, streaming and research tools) require different evaluation criteria. “There isn’t a uniform metric of measurement” across digital vendors, staff said, explaining that vendors report different counts (sessions, checkouts, retrievals) that complicate “cost per use” calculations.

Commissioners asked about how staff would prioritize purchases if the collections budget is reduced. Staff said decisions will consider usage data, costs, community need, gaps in the physical collection and whether materials are available through interlibrary services. Staff described Link Plus (the interlibrary loan/delivery service), Libby and various digital vendors; they said state and cooperative funding components support some services and that potential state budget shifts could affect some statewide offerings such as free New York Times access provided through the California State Library.

Staff said they plan to return to the commission with a refreshed collection plan showing actual FY24–25 statistics and proposed allocations after the city adopts a budget. The commission voted to add a future agenda item to review the city budget and departmental allocations.