As members of a computer class sat at eight machines around a table in the Fairfax Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), Librarian Roy Stone scampered back and forth, teaching the students around the table how to access gmail, and showing off the other parts of the library.

“All the classes we offer are free,” Stone said. “We offer 18,000 free programs. We have story time for kids, and even for toddlers. A lot of parents bring little ones when they come to use the library. We’re part of the cheapest way to prevent crime. You have to clean up the mess if kids start off in the wrong direction.”

Last week, Stone who, in addition to managing the Fairfax branch, serves as president of the Librarians Guild, launched the “Save the Library” Campaign. His guild represents more than 350 librarians who work for the City of Los Angeles, and the campaign opposes the proposed cuts to LAPL staff, as part of the city’s effort to close the budget shortfall.

“Once I got a full understanding of what budget cuts were going to do, I realized we needed to pull together a campaign, and launched an emergency meeting,” Stone said.  “I understand it’s going to look like every department is getting the same thing, but we’ve had our staff cut back for many years, and now we’re at the limit. We can’t lose any more staff without big reductions in hours and services.”

In the effort to close the budget gap, the City Administrative Officer (CAO) has recommended laying off 100 library staff positions, on top of more than 100 staffers who will go into early retirement on July 1, and a hiring freeze that has left many existing positions vacant. By the CAO’s estimate, of the 1,132 LAPL staff positions, only 825 will remain employed by the city by July 1—a staff reduction of more than 27 percent.

In addition, the library has just completed a construction program that began in 1989, which added 10 new branches and expanded and modernized 110 existing ones. According to Peter Persic, public relations and marketing director at LAPL, in 1982, 1,457 library employees staffed the city’s 63 public libraries, whereas the employees who remain after the budget cuts will have to staff 73 libraries.

Last month, furloughs forced LAPL branches to reduce Friday operating. Currently, the Fairfax branch library is open 10:00am to 8:00pm Mondays and Wednesdays, noon to 8:00pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:30pm to 5:30pm Fridays, and 10:00am to 6:00pm Saturdays. Only the regional libraries and central library are open on Sundays, and Persic agrees with Stone that any staff cutbacks will lead to further reductions in hours.

“Through efficiency and technology, we were doing more work with less people,” Persic said. “But at this point, we’re barely able to keep the doors open at the hours that we have now. Any more loss of staff, and reductions are a mathematical reality. There are only so many people to spread out over 73 libraries, and we’re at the tipping point.”

These potential reductions come at a time when library business is booming, in Los Angeles and around the country. Persic cited the 17 million visitors to the library in 2009 — a million more than the previous year — as well as 18 million items checked out — a 10 percent increase over 2008.

Persic said the recession has proven a boon to library usage, with many people coming to the library to use the computers and wireless internet to complete resumes and look for jobs online.

Max Van Horne, a substitute teacher, has been a regular patron of the Fairfax branch library, where he usually comes with his laptop to use the free wireless.

“The library is a nice environment to work,” Van Horne said. “It’s quiet, and I don’t have to buy an expensive espresso to use the WiFi. The library is something citizens use a great deal, and cutbacks here aren’t good for the city.”

However, Jacqueline Vernon Wagner, the CAO senior administrative analyst for Cultural Affairs, Disability and Library Budgets, said the LAPL has not been targeted for cuts any greater than many other city departments.

“All departments are being looked at for cuts,” Wagner said. “It’s a shared sacrifice towards the goal of long-term financial preservation. One hundred staffers is less than ten percent of the library’s workforce, whereas other departments are being asked to sustain cuts to between 20 and 40 percent of their positions.  The city council has authorized four thousand layoffs, and I don’t believe the library will be subject to additional cuts. One hundred out of 4,000, if you look at the big picture, is not a huge percentage.”

photo by Ian Lovett Librarian Roy Stone (standing), of the Fairfax Branch Library, is concerned about the effect budget cuts will have on the library’s programs.

Wagner also maintained that the recommended cuts had been strategically undertaken. She noted that the furlough was scheduled for Friday because it was the day of the week when libraries receive the fewest visitors; branches are closed on Sundays, she said, because union members make overtime for all work on Sundays, making it more expensive to keep facilities open.

“All we’re doing is reducing some hours to fit with available staffing. We’re not considering closing down any of our 73 libraries. In a worst-case scenario, we would reduce hours to five days a week, which is still far above what many other municipalities are able to provide. I’d argue the library is being protected.”

As part of the “Save the Library” campaign, Stone is encouraging residents to contact their city council representatives and voice their opposition to the cuts.

On Tuesday night, City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, 4th District, held an Emergency Community Congress to discuss the budget crisis with local residents. The cuts to libraries came up for discussion, but residents also wanted to discuss cuts to neighborhood council budgets, and reduced hours for local fire stations.  When LaBonge asked one member of the audience to guess how much it cost to operate her local fire station for a week, she replied, “I don’t know, but it’s worth every penny.”

“People need libraries,” LaBonge said. “The Los Feliz branch library costs $40,000 a week to operate. We’re looking at public-private partnerships to help offset costs, and we’re looking to neighborhood councils. But we’re also looking to people to support their libraries when they can. I don’t want a reduction in services, but there will have to be some reductions.”