FRIENDS OF THE SAN LORENZO LIBRARY


What Is the San Lorenzo Library Advisory Committee?


The committee was formed by the county board of supervisors in July 2002 to advise the library administration on preparation of an application to the state for funding of construction of a new library. The board approved the following mandate to the committee, contained in a report to the board from the library administrator:

Charge the committee with identifying the need for a new San Lorenzo Library and making recommendations to county staff and your board about all aspects of its development including the library plan of service, the building program, possible sites, and funding mechanisms ....
The committee first met in September 2002. The requirements for the application to the state were complex, and had to include a fairly detailed building plan and services plan. The deadline for the application was January 2004. Thus, plans submitted to the committee were necessarily rushed.

The committee is large (17 seats plus four ex officio seats). Most seats are "dedicated"; for example, the San Lorenzo School district gets two seats, the San Lorenzo Village Homes Association gets three seats, the county Library Advisory Commission gets three seats, and Friends of the Library gets two seats. Five community organizations get to appoint one person each. Six "at large" members are appointed by Supervisors Lai-Bitker and Miley, who represent the library service area.

Although the library administration and the committee proceeded with preparation of the application for state funds between September 2002 and December 2003, at the last minute the library administrator decided not to present the application to the state because the county board of supervisors was unable to come up with the necessary "local matching funds" for the new library.

Following withdrawal of the application to the state, the board of supervisors retained the committee but without amending its purpose (the original charge to the committee was not changed). Thus, the present purpose of the committee is unclear.

The county library administrator Jean Hofacket stated recently that she believes the committee is useful as a representative body of the community, whereas Friends of the Library is an "adjunct" of the library and limited to raising funds to assist the library. This characterization of Friends of the Library is completely inaccurate.


November 30, 2007