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Extracted from Consolidated Report

This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.

Placer County Grand Jury • 2015-2016

Closing Our Libraries: a Look at Recent Library Decisions

82 pages
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Findings 7 findings

F1 Page 41
Other than rent for the Meadow Vista facility, no substantial money will be saved by closing these two libraries.
F2 Page 41
County property tax revenue is increasing as the County recovers from the recent recession.
F3 Page 41
Decreased hours at the Loomis Library have restricted citizen usage.
F4 Page 41
Loomis and Meadow Vista citizens are actively exploring options in order to retain their libraries and accompanying services.
F5 Page 41
Residents of the Town of Loomis value their library services to the extent they have proposed a ballot measure to increase local sales tax to keep their library.
F6 Page 41
Loomis and Meadow Vista residents’ needs regarding library services were not addressed. These communities were not included in the community conversations as conducted by the Placer County Library Services consultants.
F7 Page 41
Both communities conducted their own surveys to address their needs and concerns. The majority of survey participants in each community indicated support to keep libraries open (See Attachments A and B). Fallon Research & Communications, Inc. is a full-service public opinion research and polling firm that services a variety of clients, from major political, corporate and public affairs campaigns to local governments and community initiatives. 7 http://loomis.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/1_Library_Presentation.pdf - 37 - -2016 Final Report Conclusion Every community has specific library requirements which should be taken into consideration before a library is considered for closure. This was not done. The Grand Jury investigation found the needs of the citizens in Meadow Vista and Loomis were not taken into consideration before determining the closure of the libraries. The Grand Jury could find no significant financial savings by closing these libraries.

Recommendations 4