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Library budget proposes more neighborhood hours, teen center and expanded digital collections
Summary
The San Francisco Public Library proposed increasing neighborhood branch hours (an additional 36 hours weekly across 18 branches), planning a 5,000-square-foot teen center at the main library and boosting digital collections and public-computing investments. The committee and analysts generally concurred; the library accepted recommended amendments to gift/grant acceptance rules.
City Librarian Luis Herrera told the Budget & Finance Committee the proposed FY 2013'14 library budget would expand neighborhood access by adding 36 hours per week across 18 branches, aiming to bring many branches to a baseline of 45 hours and to increase the number of branches open seven days per week. The plan also includes a teen center at the Main Library (5,000 square feet near the Grove Street entrance), additional public-computing investments (broadband, laptops, Wi'Fi and tablet-dispensing ideas) and further facility investments for post-occupancy maintenance of branches built earlier in the branch-improvement program.
Herrera said the materials budget would remain robust (about $10.5 million) while expanding e-book and e-media acquisitions in response to rapidly rising demand (e-book requests up ~65 percent year-over-year). The Library said it intends to use Library Preservation Fund monies and private contributions for the teen center and will report back on demographic alignment and cultural-equity measures requested by supervisors.
On proposed legislation, the Library sought fee revisions (e.g., aligning DVD and other material late/photocopying fees) and creation of a Library Gift Fund. The Library accepted a budget-analyst amendment to require Board approval by resolution for donations or grants of $100,000 or more; the analyst had also recommended retaining Board approval for large grants and the Library concurred.
Next steps: The Committee endorsed budget-analyst recommendations and asked the Library and budget office for a demographic allocation report tying Grants for the Arts and library funding to neighborhood and language access before the full Board hearing.
