Libraries across San Diego constantly have to brace themselves against unforeseen threats like the onslaught of online book retailers and e-books, the city’s on-and-off budget cuts and the fall of national bookstore giants. As public libraries are forced to suffer the brunt of the threats, they must simultaneously get creative with ideas to reinvent themselves in order to stay alive. In the La Jolla Library’s fall newsletter, president of Friends of the La Jolla Library Doug Dawson posed the questions, “What is the future of the public library?” and “What will our La Jolla Library look like in 2016?” In May, the Strategic Planning Committee — a brainchild of Dawson’s — held its first meeting under chairman Bill Boehm and facilitator Michael Teitelman. By its second meeting in September, the committee reported it had begun to answer those very questions. “Action plans are being developed by our committees on finance, library advocacy, strategic planning and board development, volunteers/book sales, marketing, community outreach and membership,” said Boehm. “Enthusiasm for the venture is high, with all board members participating in the plans.” The committee’s first order of business is making the library and its services more visible in the community and increasing its membership. “There are people in La Jolla who don’t even know we have a library in La Jolla. So first of all, we need to get the word out,” said Dawson. “Once we get the word out, the community will be much more aware that we are more than a repository of books.” For non-bookworms, the library hosts a number of other activities including poetry and writing workshops, Ikebana flower design classes, Hatha chair yoga, a chess club, children’s storytime and crafts, weekly film screenings and many other cultural, civic, art and entertainment events. Friends of the La Jolla Library has also recently partnered with Warwick’s to serve as the venue for some of the bookstore’s larger, more popular author speaking events. At just $10 per year, Dawson called library membership “the cheapest deal in town” due to the multitude of resources the library provides. “There is much work that we need to do that goes beyond building just the bricks and mortar,” he said. Friends of the La Jolla Library and the Strategic Planning Committee have set themselves on track toward big goals such as increasing membership 10-fold, keeping the library open 12 hours per day, seven days per week and launching a new, robust, user-friendly website by the start of the new year. Dawson challenged the board and committee to dream big for the future of the library. The path for public libraries over the years, however, has certainly not been an easy one. “We’ve been dealing with a structural budget deficit in San Diego for half a decade or so,” Dawson said. In 2009, the City Council voted to reduce library hours from 41 to 36 hours per week, closing libraries on Sundays and reducing hours on Fridays and Saturdays. “We went into crisis mode to secure private philanthropy,” Dawson said. “Within 90 days, we were able to raise dollars to reopen La Jolla Library fully on Sunday and reinstate hours on Friday and Saturday.” Additionally, one full-time librarian position was restored following the 2009 cuts. San Diego branch libraries nearly took another hit in April this year when Mayor Jerry Sanders presented city council with a budget that included more cuts to library hours in an attempt to help resolve a nearly $57 million hole in the city’s budget. After repeated public outcry from community members at the City Council hearings on the issue, council members freed up funding from other programs in order to retain library hours. Despite the win for libraries, the endemic structural deficit has not yet passed and libraries, including the beloved La Jolla Library, have no guarantee of security. Like many others in San Diego County, the La Jolla Library is revamping its strategy in order to provide its varied and necessary services for decades to come. Friends of the La Jolla Library is currently recruiting volunteers with expertise in specialized areas to benefit any of the committees. To volunteer, contact Doug Dawson at [email protected] or call (858) 212-3311. For more information about the library or to become a member, visit www.lajollalibrary.org or call (858) 552-1657.