The Friends of the Library are working with librarians from our library system as well as consultant Linda Demmers, to design a right-sized facility that can serve our present and future needs. Next steps include 1) coordinating space needs of the various users of the 1745 Mission Drive property, 2) determining the most feasible and cost-effective ways of funding a library expansion project, and 3) establishing a realistic timeline for completing this project.
What can you do?
• Talk with your friends, neighbors, and co-workers about the library
and its future
• Tell your elected officials that you support strong local libraries and
the expansion of the Solvang Library
• Join the Friends of the Library. The more Valley residents that join
the Friends, the easier it is to make our case to government agencies,
foundations, and other potential donors.
• Volunteer to help. Contact syvfriends@gmail.com,
or call Leslie Zomalt at 805 693-1361.
Making a Case for Library Expansion
In 1964, Cassius Clay became Muhammed Ali; Congress passed the Civil Rights Act; Liz Taylor divorced Eddie Fisher and married Richard Burton one week later; and “Funny Girl” opened in New York City. The Santa Ynez Valley had a population of approximately 7, 500, and a new library space was built in Solvang. It seems like ages ago.
Our Current Library
Today the Solvang Library falls woefully short compared to contemporary library standards and compared to our peers—libraries in similar California communities.
Consider these facts:
• Our library is one-tenth the averaged sized library for similar
communities.
• Our library has one-fifth the average number of books as libraries in
similar communities
• Our library has only one-fifth the number of computers found in
libraries in similar communities
Yet the demands on our library are even greater than other libraries. Circulation is 40% higher than the national and California average. Internet usage is over half again the state average.
Solvang Library vs State Guidelines
Friends of the Library, Santa Ynez Valley: (805) 688-4214, P. O. Box 1476, Solvang, CA 93464
All of this takes place in a facility unchanged since 1964. The result is what library consultant Linda Demmers calls a “very hardworking collection.” Furthermore, our equally hardworking staff copes in very cramped conditions. In fact, Demmers calls the Solvang library administrative workspace the smallest she has ever seen.
Our library patrons don’t need statistics or comparisons to sense a library under pressure. Young and old alike wait patiently for the next available computer. Literacy tutors and their students work without needed quiet and privacy. On occasion, adults must use the small children’s area or visa versa. Users must navigate jammed shelves to find a book reference work or periodical. Separate meeting space for user groups is nonexistent. Bookshelves containing “for sale” books and even the library copier occupy an adjacent hallway. All this leads to a library aesthetic to be endured, not enjoyed.
Preparing for a New Solvang Library
As a recent editorial in the Santa Ynez Valley News put it, “A good library is the cornerstone of a strong, viable community.”
The Friends of the Library of Santa Ynez Valley have discussed the dire need for a library that better meets the needs of today’s Santa Ynez Valley. What would an expanded library look like? The Friends believe a “new” library would:
• contain adequate storage for new acquisitions
• provide separate and enlarged reading and collection spaces for children and adults
• offer small group meeting spaces for literacy instruction, teen programs, & other uses
• support greater use of the internet
• adequately display community information
• make available multiple use spaces for community meetings
• expand administrative workspaces for staff and volunteers
• provide direct restroom access for patron convenience and safety
• reflect in its design and décor the unique characteristics of our Valley
