This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Those who haven't been in a library lately may be surprised to know that Salt Lake City's eight libraries have had almost two million visitors in the last year.
The city's library system wants a hefty property tax increase, and that means reminding the city's taxpayers that libraries are still worth visiting. Things like book checkouts and library card signups have been flat in recent years as information moved to the internet, and that raises the question of whether brick-and-mortar libraries are best use of tax money.
The libraries' answer, here and elsewhere, is that they are the hearts of their neighborhoods. Sure, the books are still on the shelves, but more and more the action is about internet access, youth programs and community meeting space. In Salt Lake City, there are new branches in Marmalade and Glendale, two neighborhoods that needed more community networking. Those two openings fueled a 25 percent increase in visits to city libraries in the last fiscal year.
So now the people who run the libraries are looking for more money — a lot more. The library wants a 21 percent increase in its property tax levy. For the owner of the average $247,000 house, that adds about $20 to the $92 the libraries already get.
The librarians have a good case. The two new libraries launched without any additional money for operations, and salaries and benefits have lagged both other library systems and other Salt Lake City employees.
The system's crown jewel, the Moshe Safdie-designed main library, is already 15 years old, and that means maintenance costs will grow. That building also has had to absorb impacts of the growing homeless population. Meanwhile, older neighborhood libraries like Chapman and Sprague need upgrades to address the need for more community meeting spaces.
Those are all legitimate needs, but the ask is still aggressive. Try to think of another government entity that received a 21 percent tax increase in one bite. For her part, Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski suggested it be phased in over time, and that makes sense. Cover the new libraries' costs and address the compensation issues now, but let the libraries sharpen their upgrade plans before coming back for more.
The libraries announced they are ending the policy of fining patrons for overdue books. Like other libraries, they found the fines raised little money but kept people from returning. It's a small thing, but it's one more sign that they can adapt.
In a world where everyone carries a virtual library in their pockets, real libraries still make the city more livable and its neighborhoods stronger. Put your phone away and go see where the action is.