Saratoga News Saratoga Stereopticon Willys Peck The library needs to grow with the community When Augustine Birrell, English author, politician and sage, observed in 1884 that "libraries aren't made; they grow," he may have been speaking metaphorically, but he was pretty much on target about growth. Libraries do grow, as witness Saratoga's. If you can find space there, that is. A year ago I did a couple Stereopticon columns on local library history, but like the streetcars, it's a subject worth revisiting, especially now. The story goes back 95 years to 1903, when the state established a program of sending out boxes of books to communities for circulation from stores or post offices. The prime mover here was David C. Bell, who expedited the arrival of books that were circulated from the town drugstore. With establishment of the Santa Clara County Library in 1914, the drugstore, by then in its present location, was home to county Branch No. 4, with the druggist's wife, Mrs. Clara Buckley, as librarian. This was the arrangement until 1921, when increased patronage dictated a move to larger quarters, this time to the Sunday school room of the old Christian Church, on the site of the present Echo Shop on Big Basin Way. The librarian was Mrs. Nell Emrich, wife of the Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) pastor, Rev. J.A. Emrich, who had been called to the Saratoga church not long before it combined with the Congregationalists to form the present Saratoga Federated Church, leaving the dominie without a flock. Despite this setback, the Emrich family remained here, contributing greatly to community betterment over the years. Interest in having a Saratoga library building grew during the 1920s, spurred by the Saratoga Foothill Club which sponsored a communitywide committee to accomplish this objective. The result was a fund drive that raised $12,000, not too shabby a sum in an era that saw Lindbergh fly the Atlantic Ocean to gain the Orteig Prize of $25,000. The new library, now the Book-Go-Round maintained by the Friends of the Libraries, was dedicated on Nov. 7, 1927, and remained in service until 1981. The plaque identifies it as the Sheldon P. Patterson Memorial Library, one reason being that Patterson, a retired Chicago newspaper editor who became a local mover and shaker, had persuaded the widow who owned the site to donate it for library purposes. He also persuaded her to marry him. Never underestimate the power of the press. As Saratoga's population grew, it became obvious that the Village Library, a paradigm among small-town libraries, simply wasn't big enough. Instead of a fund drive, the wherewithal for a new one came in the form of a $1.2 million bond issue passed by Saratoga voters in 1975. Thus was born the Saratoga Community Library, situated on city-owned land at Saratoga and Fruitvale avenues and dedicated just over 20 years ago, on Feb. 26, 1978. So, when it came to libraries, Saratoga was fixed for life, right? Wrong. Augustine Birrell wasn't just whistling "Dixie" when he said libraries grow. Look at some figures compiled by the Saratoga Library Commission: Annual check-outs have increased over a 10-year period by 166 percent, up to 878,966. Circulation is 19.2 items per capita, 129 percent above the national average. Last year, the reference staff answered 54,115 inquiries. Perhaps the most impressive--and chilling--statistic of all, however, is the fact that the library was built to house 100,000 volumes and now holds 170,000. Something has to give, and in terms of space, the logical something is the intensively used community room. Marcia Manzo, who chairs the city Library Commission, said that, failing an expansion program, in all probability the community room will be taken over for library purposes. That would leave a lot of organizations, ones that really serve the community, without a meeting place. When you stop to think of it, there is no more suitable gathering place for such groups than a public library. What looked like the solution, a comprehensive expansion program planned by the Library Commission to meet all the varying needs, was put on hold late last year. A consultant hired to take the public pulse concluded that a bond election to finance the project would not be successful. Is that what Saratoga is all about? Would a town that raised an amount almost half what Lindbergh risked his life for, and later passed a $1.2 million bond issue, just to build libraries, turn down such a pressing appeal? Augustine Birrell, where are you now that we need some inspirational words? [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, October 14, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.