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Resource Report - 44 Yes 4 Libraries · Resource Report

0:20
Hello and welcome to Resource Report, where we share
0:22
with you important information about local nonprofits
0:25
and resource organizations that support the community
0:29
we share, produced by Pathways to Agency. I am
0:33
your host, Rainmaker. Today's guests are Rachelle
0:37
Martin and Natalie Howard of Yes 4 Libraries.
0:40
Please welcome Natalie and Rachelle. I am here
0:51
at KAOS Radio Station. with Rachelle Martin
0:55
and Natalie Howard of Yes 4 Libraries. How
0:59
are you doing today? I'm doing really well, thank
1:01
you. Awesome. And so I'm going to ask you to
1:05
reintroduce yourself, your position here, and
1:09
how did you come to be here with Yes 4 Libraries?
1:12
Sure. So my name is Rachelle Martin. I use she,
1:14
her pronouns. And I am the chair of the Yes 4
1:17
Libraries PAC, so that's Political Action Committee.
1:20
I started in this position because I am actually
1:24
a former Timberland Regional Library staff person.
1:26
I worked for Timberland for 13 years and became
1:30
really frustrated at the mismanagement of Timberland
1:34
for quite a long time. And so I ended up leaving
1:37
and started union organizing, community organizing.
1:41
And so when it came out.... so people saw what was
1:48
going on with Timberland and there was a big
1:50
budget crunch and there was a bunch of people
1:51
going to be laid off. I, with a couple of other
1:55
people, started the Patron Coalition for Local
1:56
Libraries, which was an advocacy group that really
2:00
started championing Timberland. And.. as a result,
2:03
there is now going to be a question on your ballot
2:06
in November whether Timberland Regional Library
2:09
should be funded at a higher rate than is what
2:12
is being paid now in property taxes. So we started
2:14
the Yes for Libraries PAC, and I am that chair.
2:17
Hi, my name is Natalie Howard, and... I'm a library
2:21
lover. I am a board member for the Friends of
2:26
the Olympia Library. And when Timberland's budget
2:30
crisis became public at the end of last year,
2:33
I became very involved in those conversations.
2:38
And so I joined the Patron Coalition for Local
2:41
Libraries and the Yes for Libraries PAC. I've
2:46
never been a librarian, a library staff member,
2:51
but I've loved libraries and books since I was
2:55
little. One of my earliest memories of the library
2:59
is with my mom, who is Vietnamese and moved from
3:04
Vietnam to the United States when she was 25.
3:07
And she didn't know anyone. She barely spoke
3:11
English. And one of our local librarians in Los
3:15
Angeles was Vietnamese. And so we went to the
3:19
library almost every day so that I could do story
3:22
time and programs, but also so that she could
3:26
talk to somebody who had had a similar life experience
3:29
as her and in her native language. And that really
3:35
imprinted on me and showed me that libraries
3:40
aren't just books. They're... community living
3:43
rooms, like Rachelle likes to say. And, you know,
3:46
they serve a larger purpose for giving communities
3:50
a space where everyone's welcome. It doesn't
3:54
matter how much money you come in the door with.
3:58
But, you know, as long as you're behaving in
4:02
a respectful community way, you're welcome at
4:06
the library. And in living here in Olympia, and
4:11
volunteering with the Friends of the Olympia
4:13
Library, I've seen that people go to the library
4:15
for so many different reasons. For a break from
4:21
the rain, for programming, for Wi -Fi, to, you
4:27
know, get help with searching for a job. And
4:31
so I feel really strongly about how important
4:37
libraries are for, kind of, level setting in the
4:43
face of privileges and putting everyone on sort
4:48
of the same playing field in the community. And
4:52
so that's how I've become involved with the library
4:57
and with Yes for Libraries. Thank you for sharing
5:01
that. That gives a lot of meaningful depth into
5:05
the understanding and awareness of just what
5:09
libraries really mean for everyone in our community,
5:13
because it does help to equal the playing field
5:17
for a lot of people. And, you know, county administration
5:22
in government, you know, who are wanting to
5:29
support everyone in our community, being able
5:33
to contribute in meaningful ways and have a meaningful
5:38
quality of life for themselves and move forward
5:41
in their lives, you know, supporting the yes vote for libraries
5:46
would definitely be a huge step in that direction.
5:50
Because, you know, even you have homeless families,
5:53
you have people who are going through recovery,
5:57
you have people who need support in making resumes
6:02
and learning how to even just use Google Docs
6:08
or Word to do that. And maybe they don't always
6:13
have access to their case managers at WorkSource,
6:16
if they're even utilizing that program. The library
6:21
is a place where you can get that help. My first
6:25
resume in high school was done by the librarian.
6:30
Amazing! Yes, yes. So, I totally get that. And as
6:35
someone who has also been homeless in Eugene,
6:38
Oregon, not Washington, but homeless with children
6:42
and toxic partner, the library was an incredible
6:46
resource for us as well. So it's like, I get this
6:49
on a deep level as well. And there are so many
6:52
people that, you know, don't even realize to
6:56
what degree there are resources at the library. Yes.
7:00
I didn't even know that the things that y 'all
7:02
can check out. Yeah. Some of the stuff that the
7:06
talking with the interim executive director and
7:11
the regional manager for Timberland Regional Library
7:14
in our last interview talked about some of the
7:18
different backpacks that you can check out and
7:20
assisted devices. Oh, my goodness gracious. I
7:24
had no idea about that even. Yeah. You can check
7:27
out a blood pressure checker. Or a bicycle maintenance
7:31
kit, you know, things that cost money. They had
7:37
a program where they gave out free month -long
7:40
memberships to the Lacey Makerspace. And so,
7:43
like you're saying, it's not.. it is access to
7:47
resources, but also it's, those things can lead
7:53
to upward mobility. You know, they can really
7:55
change people's lives, and I think it's so important
8:00
for people to know that the library isn't just
8:05
books, you know. It is books, but it's also all of these
8:09
other things to create a rich and thriving community.
8:14
And you mentioned the PAC, the Political Action Committee, can you
8:26
talk a little bit more about what that is and
8:28
how that started? Sure. So a PAC, like you said,
8:32
a Political Action Committee, this is the fundraising
8:34
organization that... really does anything in
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our political sphere when you're looking at a
8:40
ballot initiative. So this is when you look at
8:44
a campaign sign and at the bottom it says paid
8:46
for by Yes for Libraries and it says our P .O.
8:48
box. That's who we are, is we're the organization
8:52
that makes sure that the campaign is successful.
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So it started just a few months ago when the
8:59
Timberland trustees voted that there was going
9:03
to be a question on the ballot to increase people's
9:07
property taxes because Timberland doesn't have
9:09
enough money to function. And if the people do not
9:15
vote yes for libraries in November, then branches
9:17
are going to start getting cut. And so we are
9:21
rallying together as a community, and it's a
9:23
pretty grassroots organization of community members,
9:26
just making sure that people know about Timberland
9:29
and that they need to get out and vote in November.
9:33
Oh, thank you. That really helps to understand,
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like, what are these two different organizations
9:38
in relation to each other and what's going on
9:41
there? Yeah. Yeah. So Timberland is a public
9:43
organization. So legally, they can't advocate for
9:46
their own ballot initiative or that would be
9:48
a misuse of tax dollars. So there has to be a
9:50
complete, like, separate organization that runs
9:53
everything. And we're very aware that. Timberland
9:57
can only participate so much in their own advocacy
9:59
they can give neutral information but we're the
10:02
ones that can come and say no, vote yes, because
10:04
that's the really important definitely and that
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definitely also helps people understand the distinction
10:10
between the previous interview that I had with
10:15
Timberland Regional Library and then you guys.
10:18
Yes! No, we can be much more enthusiastic let's
10:22
say and that this is really important and yeah,
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that's what my job is, is to make sure that people
10:27
vote yes. Thank you. And so now we're going to
10:31
talk about the levy and the lid lift. And in
10:34
the previous interview, I did ask the interim
10:39
executive director and the regional manager to
10:43
explain to maybe young voters, who may not know,
10:48
what what is the levy... what is a levy in the first
10:53
place, and so just in case people didn't catch
10:55
that and still need to understand that. Can you
10:58
please explain that again for us? Sure. So a
11:01
levy is basically a certain amount of money that
11:03
you pay on your property taxes. And there's a
11:06
ceiling to that that's based on state law. So
11:08
right now, it's $0 .23 per $1 ,000 on a home
11:13
that you own is what the current rate is that
11:15
Timberland is charging on property taxes. Okay.
11:19
Thank you. And the lid lift would mean what?
11:22
It would increase that amount. So 23 cents is
11:26
what.. I think it was like 2001 that it got passed.
11:30
So right now the levied lid lift would be for
11:33
35 cents. So it's an incredibly modest increase.
11:37
I think it's about $50 extra that people are
11:40
going to be paying. So not a ton. That's like,
11:43
per year. Yes, by year. It's a very small amount.
11:48
for when you think about what you really get
11:50
out of the library, but really nuts and bolts,
11:52
that's what the question is in the ballot in
11:55
November is an increase from 23 cents to 35 cents
11:58
per thousand dollars. Definitely, definitely, thank
12:00
you. And why is it important for our communities
12:04
in our counties to have this levy lit lift? The
12:09
levy lid lift is really important because our
12:11
libraries are important. And if it doesn't pass,
12:14
then our libraries are going to lose the staff
12:17
that are in the branches. And that's really,
12:19
from my perspective, the most important thing
12:22
about a library. So just real nuts and bolts,
12:25
if this doesn't pass in November, some branches
12:28
are going to go to what's called Expanded Access.
12:31
And that means there's no staff in the building.
12:34
You would be issued a key card if you passed
12:37
the application process. You would let yourself
12:39
into the building during certain hours, and then
12:42
you would just, that would be it. It wouldn't
12:44
be a community education center anymore, would
12:47
it? When we think about what the library is,
12:50
it's so different for every person. The wonderful
12:52
thing about the library is that it's welcoming
12:54
for everybody, but we do have a code of conduct
12:57
that people had to adhere to that can sometimes
12:59
be... a conversation point, but it was my job
13:03
to talk to people that, you know, maybe the library
13:05
wasn't the best place for them that day. And
13:07
I got to learn how completely vital it was that
13:10
we were welcoming to everybody and that we could
13:12
have those conversations about how do we interact
13:15
with each other? How do we make sure that we
13:17
all feel safe when we're here? Because the library
13:19
is a place where everybody's welcome. And it
13:22
was my job for quite a long time to make sure
13:23
that people felt that safety within our branch.
13:25
And so seeing Libraries from all of these different
13:29
facets made me feel just it's so important that
13:32
the libraries stay open, stay staffed, stay welcoming.
13:47
Timberland has done so much with this extremely
13:50
strapped budget. And the reality is that it's
13:53
2026 and things are really expensive and people
13:55
need to earn a living wage. And to do that, we
13:58
as community members need to say the library
14:01
is worth investing in. And there is an incredible
14:04
library of things that people can check out,
14:06
like actual physical things and musical instruments
14:08
we did for a long time and fishing poles and
14:11
birding backpacks and all of these different
14:13
amazing things. But I really want to build off
14:15
of what you were saying, Rainmaker. I can't think
14:18
about how many resumes I help people write and
14:21
how many pieces of court paperwork I help people
14:23
print out. And what I know is that the library,
14:27
we learn as when we're growing up is, if you need
14:31
help. somebody at the library is going to help
14:33
you. And I remember at staff... that's- I hired people,
14:36
that's what we hired for.. We- when I interviewed
14:39
I wanted to hear do you have a servant's heart
14:41
do you want- when people walk in, do you want
14:43
them to feel welcome and that you will figure
14:46
out a way that we can walk this path of, you know,
14:50
community support together, because there are
14:52
so many holes that people experience in their
14:54
support systems, and the nice thing is library
14:57
staff is really good at, well, we can do this,
14:59
we can't do that. But gosh, and those things
15:01
that we can do, we will. That's a tremendous
15:03
amount of things. And we need to make sure that
15:05
those library staff people are paid what they
15:08
are worth. Definitely. And previously, you mentioned
15:20
the EAS libraries. Oh, Expanded Access, EAH,
15:25
Expanded Access Hours. EAH libraries. And I mentioned
15:30
in our previous interview, again, was Timberland
15:33
Regional Library, the Naselle branch, which...
15:37
I am understanding that it's already experiencing
15:39
that. Yes, that's correct. So the Naselle branch,
15:43
if anybody's familiar with Naselle, it's a little
15:46
town in Pacific County. It's kind of, if you're
15:49
driving on your way to Astoria, you would see
15:52
it. And it's the only community building besides
15:55
a church in Naselle. And I, when I was a children..
15:58
when I was the Children's Associate, I worked
16:00
in Naselle pretty often, and I did Storytime.
16:04
It's right across the highway from school and
16:07
it was thriving. And I recently went to it. I
16:11
mean, when they've done the expanded access and
16:13
it's just, it's just so sad. Because it's technically
16:16
they can say that the library is open, but you
16:19
need a key card to enter. So like the day that
16:21
I went, I didn't have this key card. So I needed
16:24
to go to the bathroom. I couldn't go to the bathroom.
16:27
And when I was, I walked around and it's. just
16:31
not taken care of I remember doing these beautiful
16:33
Storytimes out in the garden and we would just
16:36
have this whole yard and kids playing, and it's
16:38
just silent, and so it's.. Timberland, the old administration
16:42
would say well they can still get into the building
16:44
and everything is fine, but the- or what can be
16:46
really frustrating is hearing, well Expanded Access
16:48
is good because now there's an increase in, you
16:51
know, library cards that have been issued, like
16:53
that's the important data point, instead of how
16:56
many people are enjoying the library? How many
16:58
people actually feel welcome here? And so to
17:00
know that that's on the other side, that more
17:02
branches would experience that if this levy lift
17:04
doesn't pass is just.. that's why I think that
17:07
Natalie and I are here to make sure that that
17:09
doesn't happen because that's not a reasonable
17:11
solution that we should be comfortable with as
17:14
community members. And having to get a card specifically
17:18
for that access is another barrier. Exactly. Exactly.
17:22
I mean, you know, there's so many people even
17:24
with executive function challenges. And that's
17:27
one more thing now we have to do. There are,
17:31
you know, I don't I'm not familiar at all with
17:34
NSL, but I imagine there are also houseless community
17:37
members, community members who struggle with
17:40
those sorts of things. And that's one more obstacle,
17:46
one more hurdle that they would have to probably
17:49
get somebody else to even help them do. Absolutely.
17:54
And, you know, when I'm at the Olympia Library
17:58
and I'm looking around at the librarians, you
18:02
know, some of them are shelving books and doing
18:05
admin type things, but most of them are talking
18:08
to people and helping people and, you know, un-jamming
18:12
a printer or helping them find a book on the
18:15
shelf, you know, and that's not replaceable.
18:19
I think that Expanded Access Hours, or something
18:24
like that, I think there's a place for that.
18:26
I think maybe on top of hours that are staffed
18:30
for people who work, you know, really demanding
18:34
jobs or in different hours, there could be a
18:36
place for that. But moving to a library that's
18:43
not staffed by librarians, I mean, for me, that's...
18:47
is an oxymoron. That would no longer be a library.
18:50
It's just a building with books. And it wouldn't
18:55
serve the community in the same way. And exactly
18:58
like you're saying, it would put up another barrier,
19:02
when I see the library, the concept of a library
19:09
as no barriers. one of the last public resources
19:13
that has no barriers. Well, I just want to build
19:15
off of what Natalie's saying is EAH, the fact
19:18
that we still call it that is a callback to how
19:21
it was started. This idea was that it was going
19:24
to be expanded access on top of staffed hours.
19:27
The original trustees that put this up to vote
19:30
on, it was never intended to be a replacement
19:33
for staffed hours. It's supposed to be an accompaniment.
19:35
The name hasn't even changed. So this was never
19:39
designed to be... this is how the library model
19:42
should be. And to say, I have a real issue with
19:45
this expanded access, you know, quotation fingers..
19:47
It sounds like a Band -Aid. It is very much.
19:49
And I think that it was weaponized. The issue
19:52
that I have is that you have to apply to get
19:56
these expanded access cards, which means you
19:58
can be denied for them. You can't just go and
20:00
get one. No. Like you just go and get a library
20:04
card, but this is different. This is different.
20:07
Oh my God. So it's... When we're talking about
20:11
executive functioning, that is enough of a hurdle
20:15
that some people are like, well, I don't want
20:16
to be evaluated, whether if I can have one or
20:19
not. Judgment. I don't want to. I'm not willing
20:22
to even inflict even that. Even if I know this
20:24
is a nice person, having that moment, that is
20:27
counter to what the library is supposed to be.
20:29
It's supposed to be access for everybody. And
20:32
instead, now you have this tiered model, which
20:34
is just completely unacceptable. I want to go
20:39
back again to speaking of houseless individuals.
20:42
There's so much controversy around what should
20:45
be done with this population. And let me tell
20:49
you, if you really want to get them off the streets,
20:52
give them the tools to do that. Where do you
20:57
find those tools? The library. Yes, absolutely.
21:03
A problem like... houselessness is obviously
21:07
bigger than any of these five counties should
21:12
be a federal issue and it there aren't the federal
21:18
public services and social services to support
21:21
people in that position, and to your point you
21:27
know making it harder to get into the library
21:29
is not solving any type of problem. It's pushing
21:33
it under the rug. It's making it someone else's
21:35
problem. And exactly right. Like, to create a
21:41
community that's thriving, that has upward mobility.
21:45
It means facing those problems, giving people
21:49
tools and access and resources that they may
21:53
not know about. They may not be able to pay for
21:56
Wi -Fi. They may not have an address to give
21:59
for. expanded access card. And, you know, if
22:04
that access is taken away, I don't know where
22:09
else they could get it. I don't know any alternatives
22:13
that are as service oriented as the library.
22:18
For sure. Like I mentioned, I worked for Timberland
22:32
for quite a long time. And I remember really
22:37
vividly going through a... it was called Homeless
22:40
in the Library. It was a training that we took.
22:42
And I don't know if it's mandatory anymore, but
22:46
it was when I first started. And it talked about,
22:48
as a library staff person, how... are you working
22:54
with our unhoused population to make sure that
22:57
they get the things that they need that they're
22:59
entitled to just like everybody else and how
23:01
do you interact with them and you need to understand
23:04
what are your biases towards this population
23:06
and how can you be mindful of them and it was,
23:09
it was really helpful to remember that we are
23:14
all in this together and if people walk into
23:16
the library, then that means that this is a safe
23:19
place for them and isn't that such a joy that
23:22
we get to be, as people that work in the public
23:25
space, is that these people feel welcome and us
23:29
as library people we can say what does help look
23:31
like today. Is it that you get to stay dry and
23:33
warm or is it something more active, do you want
23:35
to do something, do you want to talk about books,
23:38
or do you have something that you want me to
23:40
look over, but what I know is I became a cheerleader
23:44
for so many people, that- and I learned about so
23:47
many people's job interviews, and how they were
23:49
doing, and then I would have them come in years
23:52
later and say you were the person that helped
23:54
me look over this, or you gave me the confidence
23:56
to walk into WorkSource because even that is-
23:58
can be such an internal struggle for people to
24:01
go and access governmental services because they're
24:04
so limited and and to realize that the social
24:06
support network is so just sparse but you know
24:10
that you can.. when you walk into the library,
24:11
you'll see a kind face. And it's... I really love
24:17
that about the library, its that you do treat everybody
24:20
from a spirit of equity. And you let them say,
24:25
this is what, how I want to interact with the
24:27
library today. And that's just, I took such a
24:30
joy in doing that for many years. Speaking of
24:32
equity, I just want to throw out there a paradigm
24:37
shifting perspective. Houselessness is a situation,
24:44
not a demographic. I think that's so, that's
24:50
huge. And the other thing that I want to offer
24:52
that I was witness to many times at the library
24:55
is that we were a visitation site for people
24:57
that were doing supervised visitation, that were
24:59
working to, you know, rebuild their relationships
25:02
with their children or whatever. It was... This
25:07
was a safe space. And so to watch families get
25:09
reunited and work that over months together,
25:13
these are to realize. I don't really like Harry
25:18
Potter, right? I think we can all kind of get
25:19
on board that none of us are fans. But what I
25:21
do love is this kind of like Room of Requirement
25:23
kind of model that I think the library is, is
25:26
that like you walk in and the library is whatever
25:27
you need it to be that day, right? Sometimes
25:30
it is, I just want to stay dry. Sometimes it
25:31
is, I'm going to work with the foster parent
25:33
that's housing my child right now and make sure
25:35
that we're all okay. Or I want to apply for a
25:37
job, or man, I just, I want to watch some YouTube
25:40
videos for a little bit, you know, or I'm homeschooling
25:43
my kid. I mean, there's all of these different
25:45
things and that's, what you get really good at
25:47
as a library staff person is, well, tell me what
25:50
you want today and we'll see what we can do.
25:51
And it's just, it's really exciting. And Rainmaker,
25:54
to the paradigm shift kind of verbiage that you're
26:00
talking about, you know, a couple of months ago,
26:02
there was a lot of talk with the library about
26:05
libraries should be beige. And some families
26:11
are uncomfortable with... rainbow stuff or pride
26:15
stuff or what have you and that's a whole other
26:17
conversation um but that conversation about you
26:21
know some families are off put by pride or rainbow
26:26
displays in the library, somebody... it might have
26:30
been Rachelle even, but somebody said, and that
26:34
families also can be turned off by the the houseless
26:38
population being in libraries and somebody made
26:41
a great point that houseless people are families
26:45
too, you know, and to your point that it's not
26:49
a demographic, it's a situation. And to think
26:55
of people going through houselessness as Other
27:00
happens a lot. It shouldn't happen at the library.
27:05
That shouldn't be a consideration at all. There
27:09
are people in the community and they need or
27:11
want help. That should be the only barrier to
27:15
getting help, to talking to somebody. Libraries
27:19
are the front line against censorship. Yeah,
27:23
that's very true. It's so interesting. The interim
27:26
director, Andrea, is a collection services director.
27:30
That was her job before she got the job that
27:31
she has now where she's overseeing everything.
27:33
And collection services is such an interesting
27:35
thing. And I remember we would get into these
27:37
very heated arguments of. really shouldn't we
27:41
not have everything on the shelves? And I remember
27:43
having this very, no, the right thing is access
27:47
100 % of the time. And then people can decide
27:51
what the right fit is for them. Because when
27:54
we are facing this academic of like a lack of
27:56
critical thinking, you know, why would you ever
27:59
want a lack of information? And I grew up very
28:03
sheltered. I grew up in a anti-rainbow household, and I understand why
28:11
people think book banning is a good idea, I do understand.. I find
28:14
it misguided because I think as a parent the
28:17
right thing to do is to talk to our kids about
28:19
why things exist and why we make these choices
28:22
as a family, but ultimately know that we're supposed
28:24
to be empowering each other to think. And that's
28:29
what the library is really great for, and so to
28:30
limit that, is not what public libraries are supposed
28:34
to be. So any effort to censor is ultimately
28:37
anti -library. And that's why when we were going
28:40
through this whole campaign with the patron coalition
28:42
about, we need to make sure that public libraries,
28:45
that Timberland upholds the ideals of public
28:48
librarianship. That was what we talked about
28:50
over and over and over again is, we can't have
28:52
censorship. We can't have lack of access, because
28:54
this is what the library is. And if we lose these
28:56
things, then this isn't a public library anymore.
28:59
This is something else. For sure, for sure. And
29:01
that delves into dangerous territory when we
29:05
start wanting to gatekeep knowledge. Totally.
29:18
When people talk about censorship or certain
29:21
kinds of materials, I want to think of it in
29:25
an additive way. Okay, you don't love ABC. What
29:30
would you like to see? Instead of getting rid
29:33
of ABC, let's add what you want. Well, if the only
29:38
reason to vote no is so that libraries are censored
29:44
against what some might consider alternative
29:48
perspectives, that's just not, you know, inclusive
29:54
enough for the greater community. I hope people
29:58
don't think that there is a possibility of that
30:00
because a No vote won't result in censorship.
30:05
A No vote will result in your staff people at
30:08
your local library being fired. Thank you for
30:10
clarifying that. There's a number of comments
30:14
that I have seen published in different places.
30:17
You know, like Rachelle is saying, a No vote
30:20
will result in less services. And that means
30:28
less librarians, less hours open with staff,
30:33
less new materials in the collection. But nothing
30:40
specific about less what kind or more what kind.
30:44
And so if that's what people are concerned about,
30:51
I would say to... Contact the trustees or someone
31:01
in TRL admin. I think historically reaching out
31:06
to those groups has not been very fruitful, but
31:09
I have seen that changing over the past six months.
31:16
And so if you feel really strongly about a change
31:21
to your library, I would say vote Yes on the
31:27
levy and then hold them accountable. So there's
31:45
been concerns for Timberland Regional Library's
31:48
previous spending. How is that being addressed,
31:53
those concerns that people have had? And what
31:56
will change if the levy lid lift passes? There
32:00
was a large budget issue for a very long time.
32:03
I worked for Timberland for 13 years. And I was
32:06
there when we had a lot of money. And then I
32:08
watched them just lie. The old administration
32:11
team were liars and bullies. And they created
32:17
these budget projections that were completely
32:18
just not rooted in fact. And they, in my opinion,
32:23
misspent millions of dollars. there were a lot
32:28
of reasons why I left Timberland and that was...
32:30
a big chunk of it was I didn't like seeing
32:34
how the money was being spent. And I thought
32:36
that it was unethical. And when I tried to change
32:38
things from inside, I realized I couldn't. And
32:40
so I left. And then when it was announced that
32:44
61 frontline staff people were going to get laid
32:46
off as a result of the Timberland administration's
32:50
mistakes over years, that's why the patron coalition
32:54
started. So now what is really... exciting is
32:58
to see this new chapter of Timberland where all
33:00
of the administrators that I believe were complicit
33:03
in the mismanagement of Timberland they've all
33:06
been fired or they've quit they have a new finance
33:09
manager that seems really qualified which is
33:13
amazing to see that you know they have people
33:15
that are qualified for the jobs that they're
33:18
going into and they're going to be hiring a new
33:19
executive director, which is really exciting, so
33:22
there is this new chapter that's starting, but
33:26
what I'm hoping for is that because it's been
33:29
the community that has saved what I believe the
33:32
soul of Timberland, I feel like this is what
33:35
I want to see. And it's our job to hold our officials
33:40
responsible for that. So what I see is absolutely
33:44
years of workplace abuse, of community abuse
33:49
by Timberland administration. I saw so much wasted
33:53
money. And now we have a chance to do better,
33:56
but we have to stay really engaged as community
33:59
members. Yeah, and I previously mentioned that
34:02
I never worked for TRL. I'm not really affiliated
34:06
with them in any way because I think some of
34:11
the most vocal people are previous library staff
34:14
who did have really bad experiences with the
34:17
previous administration. And so as someone sort
34:20
of looking in from the outside, It was really
34:24
appalling to see the state of the finances, how
34:28
the administration talked about it, how they
34:31
basically were saying the quiet part out loud
34:34
of kick the can down the road. No one will notice.
34:38
And, you know, when Andrea was appointed interim
34:42
executive director, I was really mad. I didn't
34:45
agree with it when they voted to run the levy
34:47
lid lift. I was mad. I didn't know if I would
34:50
support it. But. What I've seen over the past
34:54
three, four months is people trying, you know?
35:00
People listening. And that's such a huge 180
35:05
from even a year ago. I was at the Board of Trustees
35:12
meeting in Hoodsport last week, I think. And
35:17
one of the things that they were talking about
35:21
was the friends of the library policy because
35:24
the policy used to be very antagonistic, almost,
35:30
towards Friends group, who.. Friends groups, whose
35:34
mission is to fundraise to support the libraries.
35:38
And at one point, Brian Mitke, the trustee president,
35:42
apologized. He said it shouldn't have been this
35:45
way. We shouldn't have been treating you this
35:47
way. And that goes a really long way for me. I
35:53
also spoke with somebody in admin. You know,
35:57
last August, September, October, kind of right
36:01
before the budget crisis became public, I asked
36:04
them, did you know in admin with those people
36:09
who are now gone, what were the vibes? What was
36:12
happening? And they said, we didn't know. We
36:17
thought everything was cool. Because they lied.
36:20
And so, you know, I would encourage people, and
36:25
it's hard because the previous administration
36:28
was nine, ten years long, but I would encourage
36:31
people to give the current administration and
36:36
the current trustees the benefit of the doubt.
36:39
You know, hold them accountable. If we want the
36:42
apologies and we want to see the changed behavior,
36:45
we have to give them the opportunity. Totally,
36:48
totally. And at that Hoodsport meeting, the new
36:51
finance administrator, Mariah Holmes, I'm saying
36:54
her name because I think she's amazing, but she
36:56
did very fact -based, data -driven presentation
37:06
about their financials and about what they're
37:09
doing right now. She mentioned she's putting
37:12
together 10 -year projections, which I don't
37:15
think Timberland's ever had. She mentioned that...
37:18
August spending, so last month, was down 23 %
37:22
from June, down 13 % from last August. And those
37:27
are real factual numbers that we can go and look
37:31
up and validate. But for Timberland to continue
37:39
on and to thrive as a library system, everybody
37:44
needs to be willing to be at the table. Thank
37:47
you. If people go to your website, the Yes for
37:51
Libraries website, you can see a list of all
37:55
of the endorsements, the people who have named
37:58
themselves, the organization. You mentioned Gabbi's.
38:01
I saw Gabbi's on there as well when I looked. And then,
38:07
you're talking about the the levy. So the tax increase.
38:11
Y 'all have this amazing little calculator that
38:15
doesn't collect anybody's data that you can just
38:19
go plug in your own numbers on your property
38:21
tax and find out what that would look like. Can
38:24
you talk about that a little bit, please? So
38:28
like, library advocates get incredible things
38:33
done. This website that was built this... Marika,
38:38
shout out to Marika Olson. She built this incredible
38:42
website and volunteered her time and her ability
38:45
and just completely knocked it out of the park.
38:59
People are voting with their pocketbooks. If
39:01
you can't afford it, you can't afford it. So
39:04
being able to give real information of what can
39:07
you actually, your individual budget, can you
39:10
accommodate this? We thought it was in everybody's
39:12
best interest to give those tools out as easily,
39:16
to be accessed as easily as possible. Yeah. And
39:19
I think it's something like the average increase
39:24
in property tax for someone would be about $43
39:27
a year. And, you know, someone can go on the
39:32
website and use the calculator and get actual
39:34
numbers. The other thing I'd like to add is property
39:38
taxes are really high. And so we want to make
39:40
sure that people know that there are services
39:42
that are available through their county assessor
39:44
to make sure that their house is assessed at
39:46
the proper value. And if you're a senior, many
39:49
counties have waivers that people can apply for
39:51
if they can't afford the property taxes. So it
39:54
is, yes, we're, you know. we want a little bit
39:57
more money, it's definitely worth it. If we're
39:58
talking about the value that you get out of it,
40:00
there's all kinds of data points that every dollar
40:03
invested from the library, you know, this much
40:04
more comes back into the community. But people
40:07
also need to know if you can't afford it, talk
40:09
to your assessor, because maybe there's a way
40:11
that you could be paying lower property taxes.
40:13
Oh, wow. That's that is something that people
40:17
don't talk often enough in this kind of context.
40:21
But that's also really super important for people
40:24
to know. Yeah. You know, Rachelle talks about
40:27
that a lot in relation to the libraries as indoor
40:31
playgrounds, which is that... OK, okay. I personally
40:37
am not a fan of the Tumwater Library playground.
40:41
Me either! Me either! Me either! And so Rachelle's
40:47
rationale behind that is.. the answer isn't the
40:53
library should be an indoor playground. The question
40:56
or the conversation to have is, why aren't there
40:58
more indoor playgrounds in the community? That
41:02
aren't at the libraries. So I'm really excited
41:05
to be the chair for the PAC because I have a
41:07
very long -term vision. This is actually the
41:09
organization that needs to be driving the conversation
41:11
of what do we want our libraries to be like in
41:14
the future? I know I don't want every library
41:17
to have a playground inside, but I know every
41:20
child needs to play. I've lived in Western Washington
41:22
my whole life. I am a single mom. There are not
41:26
enough indoor playgrounds. But the library is
41:28
not the right place to solve that problem. What
41:31
we need, maybe your community needs to do a bond
41:34
measure for a park, for your park budget. And
41:37
then you're allocating funds to that. The library
41:40
has done a lot of Band -Aid solutions for our
41:42
community and for its organizational structure.
41:44
And what we need to do is do really foundational
41:47
changes to make sure that Timberland can be successful
41:49
and make sure that community is leading that
41:51
conversation. And that's what I'm designing the
41:54
pack around to do is that. This is five counties.
41:57
It's not just Thurston County. We want to make
41:59
sure that everybody feels that ownership. And
42:03
that is you own part of the library because you
42:05
pay your property taxes because you exist in
42:07
this community. This is your home here. And we
42:11
need to make sure that we are supporting each
42:12
other when we're using that space. Thank you.
42:23
Thank you. And so the best way to do that can
42:28
be several different ways. Right. So like what
42:31
the best. The most important way is the voting.
42:34
Yes. And we'll talk about the other ways in a
42:36
few minutes. But can you please explain what
42:40
is the best way to cast a vote? So it's so wonderful
42:44
that Washington has mail -in voting. It's not
42:46
fast enough. And so if you really want to make
42:48
sure that your ballot is counted, vote early
42:51
and drop it off in a ballot box, please. And
42:53
I want to shout out to Samantha Burtch, who I
42:57
interviewed for League of Women Voters. People
43:01
can go check that podcast out on our archive
43:05
site at rss .com slash podcasts with an S slash
43:10
resource hyphen report. And she detailed the
43:14
entire process for us so thoroughly that there's
43:20
no question how that works. So please go check
43:23
that episode out. And so one of the places that
43:27
you can drop off, there's going to be a place
43:29
close to you no matter where you go. Yeah, I
43:32
think there's 31 locations. I did not get to
43:35
all of them, but my mission is to do it by November.
43:38
I'm going to hit all of them in Thurston County.
43:40
My kids are not very excited about my goal. We
43:43
need to vote by November 3rd. Yes. By 8 o 'clock,
43:47
November 3rd. And definitely in a drop box. If
43:50
you're waiting that late, don't put it in your
43:52
mailbox. And when does the ability to cast those
43:56
votes begin? I think ballots are dropping around
44:00
the 17th. Maybe a little bit earlier. The 8th.
44:03
In October. Yeah, yeah, yeah. October 8th. They're
44:06
starting to mail out ballots. And you could have
44:09
your ballot in your mailbox right now. You should
44:11
go and get it and fill it out and drop it off
44:13
in a ballot box. And related to ballot security
44:16
is... I've heard some comments worried about intimidation
44:22
at the ballot drop boxes. And I've heard as a...
44:27
Intimidation? Yeah. What do you mean? Like, you
44:32
know, people just hanging out around the ballot
44:36
drop boxes. Oh, really? Yeah. Which you're not
44:39
supposed to do. I think you're supposed to stay
44:41
like 25 feet away from the ballot drop boxes.
44:45
But I've heard concerns from people about, you
44:48
know, being targeted when they're dropping off
44:50
their ballots. And one potential solution for
44:55
that, if you're feeling intimidated or you've
44:57
never done it before, is to have a little ballot
45:00
party, you know, get together with your friends,
45:03
fill your ballots out together and drop them
45:05
off at the. Dropbox together. Me and my posse
45:07
going to go drop ballots off. Yeah. Try and get
45:11
in our way. Wow. I've literally never heard of
45:17
that. This is the first election cycle that I've
45:21
heard it. And so, like I said, I do a lot of
45:25
labor organizing. And this is something we're
45:26
mobilizing all of our labor unions around is
45:29
if you're concerned about ballot security or
45:32
election security, this is what you can do. And
45:34
this is a common thing that we're saying. Or
45:36
if you're out canvassing, then, hey, let's all
45:39
meet in a park and then we can drop off the ballots
45:40
together. Yeah. And I also volunteer with Olympia
45:44
Indivisible. And they have a... I was trying
45:47
to look up the name of the team, but I can't.
45:49
But it's something like the election security
45:51
ballot security team. And that's something that
45:55
they've brought up as a tool that some groups
46:01
might use to deter people from casting their
46:04
ballots. And so, you know, hopefully it doesn't
46:08
come to that and that those types of... confrontations
46:15
aren't realized, but it's something to be aware
46:18
of. Our political atmosphere is very charged
46:24
right now. And, you know, I've said a million
46:27
times in the past month, I never thought libraries
46:30
would be this political or I'd have to ask people
46:33
to vote yes for libraries, but this is where
46:35
we are. Oh, libraries have always been political.
46:38
Remember what happened to the one in Alexandria?
46:43
Well, but it's very true. It's very true. What
46:46
you're saying is so right, Rainmaker, is when
46:49
you want to really destroy a community, you take
46:51
away people's ability to educate themselves.
46:54
And there is no greater way to realize your education
46:57
either as a child or as an adult than the library.
46:59
So you're completely right. The library has always
47:01
been political. I think to speak to Natalie's
47:04
point, I don't. I'm getting older, but I've never
47:07
felt like things are so escalated. And so creating
47:10
these conversations or really stepping into them
47:12
of what does it feel like to feel secure to vote
47:15
and going through these extra steps is I never
47:17
thought we were going to be like this. But I
47:19
appreciate that we have a community that's really
47:21
proactive. Thank you. And so we were going to
47:26
also talk about other ways to support the library.
47:30
And so that leads to our question, how can people
47:33
get involved? I know that there's y 'all have
47:36
people volunteering, there's donating, you can
47:39
get signs, you can write an endorsement on your
47:43
website. And there's also a space to share your
47:46
library story. Can you talk about those things,
47:48
please? So the website is Yes4Libraries .org
47:55
and that's the number four. And that is kind
47:57
of your one stop if you want to get involved.
47:59
So the volunteer signup sheet is there. There's
48:01
a place that you can donate and get more information
48:03
that way. And one of the beautiful things about
48:07
the library is this, everybody has a story about
48:10
the library and it's, I really appreciate that
48:14
this campaign is giving space to the power of
48:17
those individual stories because that, Those
48:20
are the things that kind of keep us motivated
48:22
to keep going. Supporting the library and supporting
48:24
the PAC is also something we want as few barriers
48:29
as possible. At the end of the day, I want everyone
48:32
to vote. You know what I mean? And so donating
48:37
time and any skills or connections or... Whatever
48:45
sort of secret talents that people have to spread
48:50
the word, to connect with other communities is
48:53
really key. This library system is 31 locations
48:59
across five counties. That's a lot of land. That's
49:05
a lot of physical space. What are those counties
49:08
again? Grays Harbor, Mason, Lewis. Pacific and
49:13
Thurston county. And so I would say if anyone's
49:17
interested in donating time or materials or whatever,
49:22
or even just learning more about the campaign
49:25
to go to the website to sign up for the email
49:28
newsletters, to even attend one of the Monday
49:32
evening zooms that we have at 6 p .m, where, you
49:36
know, all of the different teams kind of report
49:38
out on what they're doing, what they've done
49:41
in the past week, what their priorities for the
49:44
upcoming week are. And we don't expect everyone
49:48
to be everything. You know, if there's one thing
49:52
that someone mentions that kind of strikes your
49:55
fancy, reach out to that person and see how you
49:58
can help. Awesome. And I have your website actually
50:01
right here. And you have this. Pick as many as
50:05
you like lists for ways to help. Doorbelling,
50:09
phone banking, tabling at events, hosting a ballot
50:12
party, writing letters to the editor, putting
50:14
up a yard sign, adding my endorsement wherever
50:17
I'm needed most. And then where should the sign
50:20
go? Optional, if you want to do that. And just
50:25
to point out that that is going to go to the
50:28
volunteer that puts up your yard sign. So you
50:32
can check that out again at Yes, the number four,
50:37
libraries, plural dot org. Tell us more about
50:41
how people can attend those meetings that y 'all
50:46
have and get involved with things. When you sign
50:50
up on the website, then you'll get added to a mailing
50:53
list and you'll get the link that way. Oh, okay,
50:55
okay, okay. Thank you for clarifying that. They're
50:58
Mondays at 6 p .m. on Zoom. Okay, good to know.
51:02
Always, always remote. Yeah, I mean five counties,
51:06
you know. Sure, okay. So this is like the whole
51:08
collective. Yes, yeah. Oh, this isn't just the
51:11
Thurston County. No, no, no, no, no. Oh, that's
51:13
good to know. Yes, it's for everybody. Oh, wow,
51:15
okay. How big do those Zoom meetings get? I would
51:20
say, 20 to 30 people. OK, because we need more
51:23
people in there. Always, always, always. And
51:26
that's, you know, something that we talk about
51:28
in those meetings is a lot of kind of the team
51:32
leads are Thurston based, are Olympia, Lacey,
51:36
Tumwater based. And we want to do outreach across
51:42
all of the five counties. But there's also a
51:46
conversation about... is that I'm patronizing in
51:51
a bad way if I say, you know, hi, I'm from Olympia,
51:55
but you guys in Aberdeen, you should really vote,
51:59
you know. And well, local people are the best
52:02
advocates for their local libraries. You know,
52:05
me coming in from Olympia to Hoquiam. So one
52:10
of the things we did as the patron coalition
52:12
for local libraries is we did one listening session
52:14
per county. And we- I traveled out. And so we
52:19
went to Centralia, Hoquiam, Lacey, Shelton. Was
52:24
that five? Pacific. We went to Raymond, my old
52:27
branch. And I said, tell me what's going on.
52:31
And we ended up writing up a big report and gave
52:34
it to the trustees that said, this is what your
52:35
community is saying that they need from you.
52:37
So that was to kind of go on the edge of, no,
52:41
I don't think it was patronizing because I wasn't
52:43
going in with a solution. I was going in saying.
52:46
I've been really loud with my frustration. I
52:48
would like to really listen to what your frustration
52:50
is and how can we tell the trustees and Timberland
52:52
administration this is what we need. And then
52:55
those groups, ideally the people in those listening
52:58
sessions, they found each other and they have
52:59
started to work together and they work with their
53:02
friends groups. And so it is that, how do you
53:04
seed for campaigning when we are still Thurston
53:08
County based? So that was a proactive thing that
53:11
we did. Awesome. Is there anything else you would
53:25
like to share? The big thing that I would like
53:29
to share is to just really encourage people that
53:32
this is the start of a new Timberland, that we
53:36
can really design the library district that we
53:38
really want to be successful as community members.
53:41
And the time is now to be... to sit with what would
53:45
your ideal library look like? What would your
53:47
ideal community look like? And how would a library
53:49
fit into that? And and so let's really push that
53:53
this is the time to really be aware of what
53:57
we can and can't do, and then figure out how
53:59
do we build that together. I would encourage
54:04
people to think about the library and this campaign
54:09
and what Yes 4 Libraries is doing as a marathon
54:15
and not a sprint. If this levy lid lift passes,
54:19
it's not suddenly Timberland is a thriving library
54:23
system and You know, every library is open 24
54:27
-7. It's we can keep status quo with a little
54:33
bit more. We can add some people back, but not
54:36
all, you know, and we can contribute more to
54:40
collections, but not as much as we used to. We
54:43
talk a lot about staff and how important it is,
54:45
because for me, that is the most important thing.
54:48
But I do want to highlight Timberland has absolutely.
54:52
obliterated its collections budget, which means
54:54
Timberland doesn't buy books anymore because
54:56
they can't afford it. So Natalie said, oh, an
54:59
increase to collections. That means buying books,
55:02
magazines, DVDs, materials that you can actually
55:05
use, or even things that you can stream. And that
55:08
we need more books on the shelves. We have branches
55:12
all over the district that are complaining that
55:14
they don't have anything on the shelves. We need
55:16
money to buy books. Thank you so much. Is there
55:20
anything else you would like to share? No. I
55:24
don't think so. Thank you for having us. Thank
55:25
you so much. Thank you for caring about the library.
55:29
And how thorough you're being with these interviews
55:31
that you're talking to so many people. This is
55:33
great. Thank you so much. If you would like to
55:45
learn more or get involved, visit yes4libraries
55:50
.org. Yes4libraries .org. And someone will be
55:55
in touch soon. We have reached out to Commissioner
55:58
Sean Swope with an invitation to appear on Resource
56:01
Report, but have not yet received reply. That's
56:12
it for today's Resource Report produced by Pathways
56:15
to Agency. At Pathways to Agency, we are driven
56:19
by the belief that everyone should have the tools
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and support to achieve their goals and thrive
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in their communities. Our mission is to bridge
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the gaps in understanding, accessibility, and
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trust by connecting individuals, resources and
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sharing information and processes that can lead
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to personal and community growth. Resource Report
56:42
offers information about existing and emerging
56:45
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56:53
can follow the link to our podcast archive and
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or liable for any views or opinions expressed
57:07
in the interviews conducted by Resource Report.
57:10
Till next time, and thanks for listening.