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Friends of Library are making headway, surveying residents
By Steve Enders
Nobody ever said that running a bond campaign would be easy, and that's certainly proving to be true for members of the Friends of the Saratoga Library, who are out pounding the pavement to raise awareness for the need of a renovated building.
Over the past few months, Friends members and volunteers have made contact with thousands of Saratoga residents, trying to get the word out and, in return, some feedback on what they'd like to see in an expanded library.
More than 7,000 mailings have been sent out to date, letting voters know about the space crunch the library is in right now, as well as a simple query about whether they'd be interested in receiving more information.
Another brochure will be mailed out in a week to the same 7,000 active voters in town, whose addresses are culled from the Santa Clara County registrar of voters.
According to library officials and estimates from consultants, the library will need $15 million to $20 million from residents in the form of a bond measure to properly renovate the building standing on the corner of Saratoga and Fruitvale avenues.
Of the 7,000 they've sent out, about 500 have come back.
Friends president Bill McDonnall said the campaign has been going very smoothly, and a 10 percent return rate on the surveys would be considered a success.
"We're still learning. Every bit of input has value, and we've been tabulating and plotting and getting a good idea of what people feel," he said.
McDonnall was also quick to dispel rumors circulating that Friends members have been making phone calls to area residents asking about library issues as well as opinion-gathering about the late Mayor Jim Shaw and current Mayor Pro Tem Stan Bogosian.
He said that, to his knowledge, nobody has made any phone calls to poll residents in recent months. Friends members had made phone calls during the last polling drive more than a year ago, however, and McDonnall guessed any rumors in town now have come from the previous information drive.
According to Friends and the city's Library Commission, the library is in dire need of a major renovation, as soon as possible. What was built to hold 100,000 volumes 21 years ago, is now bursting with more than 173,000 books, magazines, compact discs and movies.
Library officials had hoped to get a similar bond campaign rolling more than a year ago, but an initial polling of Saratoga voters showed only marginal support for such an issue, and proved that not many residents knew there was a problem at the library.
Besides the mailings, Friends members have been staked out in front of local stores, including Gene's Fine Foods, as well as the library and at locations in the Village, and are asking people to stop and talk about the library's needs.
So far, responses have included an interest for more space between shelves, especially for handicapped access, more books, more children's programs and more computer terminals. People also want to keep the community room, which one consultant suggested be filled with overflow materials.
It hasn't been filled yet, because the library staff knows it's a valuable resource to the community for readings and lectures, McDonnall said.
The public's input is valuable, he said, because it confirms to library staff that more is needed, and gives them an idea of what the public wants, not just what the staff wants.
In coming months, he said, the Friends will begin public speaking engagements to groups around town, including PTA organizations from schools.
"Parents are one of the most important constituencies with libraries, so we want to get as much support as possible," McDonnall said.
When the group feels it has the backing of the community, it will ask the City Council to back a resolution supporting a ballot initiative to obtain the bond money.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
