Budget cuts could affect San Mateo County library programs

While some libraries will be able to continue to fund the programs out of pocket — Redwood City, for example, has provided homework help programs since 2011 and will continue to do so without state funding, Wolfgram said — not all libraries will have the same opportunity.  

“I want to emphasize the importance of equity in all of this, making sure that every Californian, regardless of how rich or poor they are or how rich or poor their city is, has the access to succeed in schools and in their careers,” he said. 

While the Peninsula library system creates sharing mechanisms for books and e-media throughout San Mateo County’s multitude of city and community college libraries, program offerings can still vary by city. Thirteen libraries — like Woodside, San Carlos and Millbrae — are funded through San Mateo County, whereas other libraries, like Redwood City and Burlingame, are funded by specific cities themselves. 

The processes for which residents can access which services can be convoluted, Carine Risley, San Mateo County deputy director of Library Services, said, particularly because some programing at city-funded libraries is accessible only to residents of that city. State-funded programs can eliminate this issue. 

“Reducing the complexity and focusing on the access has been such a gift from the state and something we’ve been trying to build on,” Risley said. “We don’t need to explain all this nuance, we can just say any library.” 

Three specific programs are on the state budget’s potential chopping block: one, an online tutoring service that provides students of all kinds virtual, live tutoring. A second program allows residents to take out free library state park passes, and a third that provides eight different career services programs — including LinkedIn learning and Job and Career Accelerator.  

The tutoring services can be helpful for a variety of different subjects, from algebra to English, and are offered in six different languages, Burlingame City Librarian Bradley McCulley said. 

“These can cover whatever you want it to cover. [It’s] basically just logging on and you're saying, ‘I need help in English.’ that could be related to ‘I'm working on my LSAT prep and I'm having issues with this,’ right, and so the tutor will start asking you questions,” he said. 

Wolfgram also said the tutoring program at the Redwood City Library is extremely important to the city and is used hundreds of times a month. 

“It’s probably the one I’m most concerned about,” he said. “It provides free online connections with live trained tutors in all subjects, all grade levels, in multiple languages, so any student can have the opportunity to get help with their homework.” 

The San Mateo County library system is still working on its budget for the next year, Risley said, and is interested in still offering an online tutoring program but “may need to shift resources or make other decisions to figure out how we could provide continuity.”

Wolfgram also pointed to the potential removal of the career services databases as detrimental to individuals who might use them to seek new jobs or better their positions at current ones. 

“In terms of the career pathways databases, it’s super important in any time where people are struggling economically, the things you look to cut are not the things that help people lift themselves up,” he said. 

Librarians also pointed to the economic benefits to offering the services en masse. Rates are lower if the state purchases the services, but higher for individual libraries to buy, Tommy McMahon, adult services manager at the Burlingame library, said. 

“Library rates are expensive because we're offering it to a large pool of people, so they generally charge libraries a lot of money to offer that,” he said. “What’s great about the state offering is — it’s two angles. Everyone in the state can technically access it. It doesn't matter where you live.” 

Ultimately, keeping programs like these funded at a statewide level is an equity issue because not all libraries will have the money to keep the programs going, librarians emphasized.

“We’re fortunate to be in a position where we have the flexibility with our budget to fund [tutoring] locally, if we have to. But a lot of smaller and more rural libraries throughout the state, throughout the coast and Central Valley — there are a lot of places where there isn’t local money for libraries,” Wolfgram said. 

In the past several decades, libraries throughout the county and state have expanded beyond just book offerings into educational and informative services of all kinds. 

The Burlingame library offers digitization services for VHS tapes and slides, for example, and at Redwood City, library-goers can learn about bees and pollination from beehives on the building’s rooftop. County residents can also check out Wi-Fi hotspots and laptops if they’re in need of connectivity, Risley said, and that’s just one service of many that can break down economic barriers and help community members succeed. 

“I think that at the heart of libraries is supporting developing interests and lifelong learning. Exploring books [is] an amazing, wonderful way to explore the world but there are lots of other ways we’ve adjusted and evolved,” she said. 

holly@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105