
	Working to Expand & Improve Library Service in Lane County, Oregon

The Lane Library League is a non-profit citizens group working to expand and improve library service throughout Lane County. Our fundraising event, the annual AUTHORS & ARTISTS FAIR will be held 10am-6pm on Saturday, December 6, 2008 in the Atrium of the Lane Events Center (at the Lane County Fairgrounds), next door to Holiday Market. The event is a benefit for the Lane Library League's summer reading program, which provides free books and programs to children throughout Lane County. Our board of directors includes community leaders and librarians from all parts of Lane County.

The Challenge

Eugene Library circa 1906.

· What can a modern library offer?

· What can be done to improve library service in Lane County?

· What does it cost?

Each August the LLL staffs a booth at the Lane County Fair, beside the Oregon Authors Table.

Over 80,000 people in Lane County do not have access to public libraries. Even though libraries are arguably as important in a democratic society as public schools, the people who live in the white portions of the Lane County map below are without service:

The good news is that the Lane Library League is making progress toward improving and expanding library service in the county. With LLL support, citizens in the Creswell area south of Eugene created the Lane Library District in a November, 2004 election. The new district opened a modern library in Creswell in February, 2006.

Now we're studying ways to extend library service throughout the county. One option is to expand the new Lane Library District and other existing districts. Another option is to create new library districts, although this is more complicated. A third option is to build and expand volunteer libraries in unserved areas. At the same time we're encouraging the existing libraries to work more closely together, taking a cue from other counties where a consortium of libraries provides unified, county-wide service.

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