Renew Our Library

Advocacy: Renew Our Library

Measure 24-423 on the November 7, 2017 ballot will ask Salem citizens to fund an $18.6 million project to renovate and repair the main branch of the Salem Public Library.

If passed, the measure would increase property taxes for the average homeowner about $19 per year. For this amount, we can extend the life of our library for 30 years+ by renovating and replacing the roof, windows, plumbing, electrical systems, and heating and air conditioning components. We can also make the building earthquake safe by adding reinforcing shear walls to the interior of the building.

Constructed nearly a half century ago, the Salem Public Library is one of busiest public libraries in the state. It is a community asset that needs our help, so that it can continue to serve us for many years to come.

The Salem Public Library Foundation supports this measure and urges citizens to learn more at: http://www.renewourlibrary.org
Check out the "Five Reasons to Vote Yes on the Library Bond Measure"

Frequently Asked Questions about Measure 24-423 include:

How much is our library used by the public?
Our main library is one of the most heavily used libraries in Oregon. Here are some statistics from the latest year, July 2016 to June 2017:

Number of days the library was open to the public: 310
Total number of visitors: 491,096 (average 1,584 per day)
Total number of books, DVDs and other items checked out: 1,148,160 ( average 3,703 per day)
Total number of reading programs for children: 1,485 (average more than 4 per day)
Total number of children attending reading programs: 84,783 (average 273 per day)
Total number of adult programs: 275
Total number of adults attending programs: 11,087
Total number using library Internet computers: 43,115 (average 139 per day)

How would the bond funds be used?
Having been built about a half century ago, the library is in need of many replacements, repairs and renovations that can renew the building and make it fully functional for at least another 30 years. These include a new roof, windows, plumbing, HVAC equipment, and electrical systems. The library predates the Americans with Disabilities Act and is not in full compliance with the ADA. Full compliance will now be required, because of this new construction. The cost of extending the life of the library makes up about half of the $18.6 million bond measure.

When was the last time Salem citizens were asked to pass a bond measure for our library?
Next year, it will have been a half century since Salem citizens were asked to fund a new library. The library was part of the Civic Center bond measure passed in 1968 to build City Hall, the main Fire Station #1, and the library. The major improvements that have been made to the library since then have been funded with City Urban Renewal funds and by the Salem Public Library Foundation.

Won’t libraries become obsolete in the near future?
Libraries are busier than ever before, and our library is no exception. Far from being a threat to libraries, new technologies like the Internet and e-books have been embraced by libraries, and have been made freely available to the public in addition to more traditional offerings. Our library specializes and excels in programming for all ages, utilizing Loucks Auditorium and the other meeting and performance spaces throughout the library. The need for people to gather, to listen, to learn and to be with others is only becoming more important.

If the bond measure fails, then what happens?
If the bond measure fails, users of the library will continue to be put at risk, and we will have lost the opportunity to extend the life of the library for at least 30 years at about a third of the cost of a new library.

Why does our library need a seismic upgrade?
Our library first opened in 1972, 45 years ago. When it was built, we did not know that Oregon experienced major earthquakes every few hundred years on average. For that reason the building was not designed to be earthquake safe. The library was expanded in 1990 and the parking facility was added, but that project did not include seismic reinforcement. The City commissioned an engineering study from the Portland firm of BergerABAM in 2014. Their conclusion was that the library and the parking garage do not meet standards for life safety, and library users, staff and volunteers would be at risk in a major earthquake.

Why not just tear down the library and start over?
A local practicing architect has estimated that the cost to build a new 95,398 square foot library (to replace the one we have now) would cost $42,548,000 and replacing the 90,384 sq. ft. parking garage would cost another estimated $9,000,000. So, for an investment of $18.6 million to renew our library and make it earthquake safe, we can avoid spending nearly three times as much for a new library and parking garage.