The Library's Discard Pile

Dumpster full of paperback books, torn by hand, and filled to the brim.

How to use $5 million new tax dollars at the Library or isn't it nice that they recycle (?)

Renton Library - The good, the bad and the ugly

To be sure, there is always a good side to every new change and challenge, so let me start out with the good news where the Renton Public Library is concerned. After losing the vote to save our local library and Renton joining the ranks of the King County Library System, our library has gotten extended hours, access to the stacks at any KCLS branch (and there are over 40 of them) and my personal favorite, the ability to apply for a Seattle Public Library card for free (that's a $75 savings, folks.)

The KCLS system will finally be fully integrated with the Renton Public Library's system by this Monday, so all interested can get the new hybrid card, allowing you to check out books from KCLS and Renton's two branches. It is one of the cooler things to come out of this venture - it has a photo of our statue seen above on it and remains the same color of green. I plan to get right in there at the beginning of next week to get mine. I am glad that this transition is almost to an end. It didn't look like fun for anyone.

Now for the bad. The library has become - well, loud. You can use your cell phone and no offense, but the days of the quiet "shushing" librarian are gone. Some of them are the worst culprits and I kinda liked it when you had to be considerate of others who were reading and such.
Soon there will be a total of 28 computers (kinda good) and a lot of tables will be taken out. Guess it's more important to take your books elsewhere and browse.

You may notice that the electronic stanchions that stood at the entrance and exit have been removed and the books are no longer scanned in that fashion to prevent theft. Not the way KCLS does business. DVD's will soon be left out on the shelves, cases open, and any theft of stock from the stacks comes under the "acceptable loss" terms of the budget. Man - I think they should have just kept those electronic babies up. Keep everyone on their best behavior if you know what I mean. I hate having to pay taxes for books you know are gonna walk more frequently now. I even hate writing this and revealing the truth of the less than safe status of our books.

Now for the UGLY. These are all the books that I saw, torn apart by human hands, and left in the recycling bin outside the library's side door today. This container is FULL. Not left to the new secondhand bookstore that Renton finally saw it's doors open last week. Not for the much diminished sale shelves of books the library sets out, and not for Renton River Days when many of us have fond memories of buying discarded library books with relish.

There are comment forms on the head librarian's desk should you find anything you would like to see addressed heard and considered. I am going to fill one out today. I miss my local librarians, who now have schedules that force them to work in other branches instead of just at ours (the "cluster system is what it is called and as yet, I don't see the merits of it) and whom seem to be rather tentatively weathering the changing of the guard. Things seem to have gone from a generous "we" to a insular "ME" in the way things are run. Sigh.

I guess it just sucks not to have as much say in our local library. I wish that weren't the case. I am still available for "silver lining" moments. Chin up and all. I'll keep you posted.

Renton Public Library
100 Mill Avenue South
Renton, WA 98057
Phone: 425-430-6610
Regular Hours:
Monday to Thursday: 10:00 am to 9:00 pm
Friday and Saturday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday: 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Frustration and a fight

The City of Renton Facebook page warned us that Monday, March 1, was our day to be over the loss of our independent library service and accept the KCLS annexation that Renton recently voted upon and lost, by a mere 53 votes, in an expensive special election. The Seattle Times finally got wind of the fight and wrote about it on that very same deadline day, and Celeste Gracy at The Renton Reporter followed suit the next day, catching up on the now presented legal case that the opposition to Prop 1 have put forward. The Save our Renton Library folk want you, the Renton citizenry, to weigh in and fight. It just isn't over.

It could be that the loss of the library to an organization that only shares a name with King County, but is in no way affiliated, will cost us more money than we were lead to believe. It could be that Renton City Council seems to underestimate our need for due process and correct facts and questions why they can so easily decide to spend $130,000 on a special election, not send out the voter pamphlets until the populace was already receiving their voter pamphlet, include a biased flyer in with our utility bills and call this fair play. It could be that this is just part and parcel of a direction that our fair city is just not willing to continue to take when it comes to deciding issues of community interest, and that our city leaders may not in fact be the embodiment of the "Live, Work, Play" motto of Renton that they purport to uphold.

Loss of the library downtown branch- under KCLS seems inevitable. Renton hopes to annex Fairwood (already a member of KCLS), move the present library in it's site over the river at the edge of Liberty Park and use this building for some fish hatcheries project (wow! hey they already have something like that 20 minutes away in Issaquah!) Oh, and then maybe our downtown library branch moves to Fairwood or elsewhere, living our Downtown Renton community without one more important and viable service. You know, the type that defines and fleshes out an active downtown. I am soooo tired of our DTR being shafted at the expense of The Landing or the suburban sprawl.

You can still be heard: The City Council members are here to be spokespeople for our city. An agenda that is responsive to all of our needs.

Public Disclosure Commission - Doug Ellis ellis@pdc.wa.gov 360-664-2735
Don Persson, City Council President Dpersson@rentonwa.gov 425-430-6501
Terri Briere, City Council Tbriere@rentonwa.gov 425-430-6501
King Parker, City Council Kparker@rentonwa.gov 425-430-6501
Greg Taylor, City Council Gtaylor@rentonwa.gov 425-430-6501
Rich Zwicker, City Council Rzwicker@rentonwa.gov 425-430-6501
Randy Corman, City Council rcorman@rentonwa.gov 425-430-6501

3/4 UPDATE: Now even The Renton Reporter wants to tell us to "get over it". Sorry, Dean - just like yourself, we are ALL entitled to out own opinion.

Library Updates and Love

Through out the summer, there has been an alarming discussion about the status of the Renton Public Library and the obvious need to secure more funds to update our library system. In 2006, it seems that a 20 year master plan was commissioned, with two sources, Miriam Pollack & Associates and Tina Roose of Roose Research, who researched the library's condition and concluded that the library should remain autonomous and raise funds to service the needs of a fast growing city population (annexations have brought us to nearly a population of 83,000 here in Renton). What concerns me, as we now know that voters will be weighing in on whether the library will join the King County Library System (KCLS) since it was decided in city council meetings to put it to the public to decide, is why we are not being given a better cost analysis break down about the funds that the taxpayer will be liable for whether or not we join KCLS. At the end of the day, money will be needed. Where is our real incentive to join KCLS (outside of the fact that our bill for using their services has increased dramatically recently), because we all must acknowledge that there will be price tag to all of this, even if we let someone else run our library it will not clear up the bill we must face for improving our library services.

"Annexing means King County Library System would take over Renton’s library services. If that happens, Renton residents would get better facilities, resources and services than exist in the current Renton Public Library. But according to the master plan, joining would also mean a loss of local control and services geared specifically to Renton, probable higher taxes, and the possibility that either the downtown or Highlands library would close."
Renton Reporter 8/15/09

My friend and cohort in blogging crime, Miss Lynar of All About Renton, took the time to read the 80 some page master plan for the library and proceeded to put a poll on her blog to see how people felt at just an instinctual level about whether or not to have the library remain a "Renton" concern (ie not join KCLS). The response was dismal.

For many of us, the library is a weekly, sometimes daily ritual. Books are a passion and the friendly and familiar library staff an added bonus that makes the trip in all the better. It is what living in a town that has a small town feel is all about - a sense of community, a sense of belonging and of having a place in your own shared world that matters.

My fear is that we will wake up one day and realize that we let a great opportunity to maintain our connection to our community, through our library resources, slip away. It will be too late to reclaim what the rest of the world is so easily seeing erode away - human connection, programs that are geared to us and not processed and implemented miles away from our daily reality, a friendly librarian face that knows our name, the books and DVDs we like to borrow and greets us with a smile when we head their way.

Today begins the National Library Card Sign-Up Month and if you don't have a tendency to borrow books and DVDs, maybe it is time that you started. You need a valid driver's license that has your current Renton address on it, or a photo id with a utility bill, or personal check, or something official that states your Renton residency. Since the Renton Library also has reciprocal book exhanges with the King County Library System, you can check out a book if you have a KCLS card or can apply for one if you live inside the KCLS service area, or in King County and outside of the Enumclaw and Seattle city limits. If you are under 18 and not emancipated, you have to have help with your parents/guardians to get your card. Find more facts here.

Update on the Library Vandalism of 6/24:

As far as the library goes, we have a suspect identified in the burglary at the library and there is probably cause to arrest him at this time. He's "dodged" us a couple times and is aware we're looking for him.

Cyndie Parks, Renton Crime Prevention Unit

PLEASE NOTE:
The Library will be closed September 4th - it's a Furlough day, and in fact the whole city is closing down and taking a day off (trying to cut back on costs).
However, the library will be open on Saturday.
Monday, is a holiday, and the library will also be closed that day, September 7th.