My entire life experience is in the Building Construction Industry as a professional and as a community volunteer in my “off” time. I have, through these years of experience, relationships with County officials and can go directly to them with questions about the library building projects (and indeed, already have and have identified issues the present Board is not looking at, or aware of.) 

I spent a decade on the Altadena Library Board and I know how the pieces go together. I in the past advocated for targeted technology spending and for slowly raising the yearly levy in the Library tax and making it a ten year (rather than three year) tax, so the public would not grow tired of constantly being asked to have its taxes raised. In addition, while on the Altadena Library Board and since, I have studied current operations, building trends and future planning for libraries. 

As an architectural historian and author,  I regularly use university and special collection libraries and am aware of how those are evolving, and what we as a community can do to better serve our citizens. As one small example, the Avery Library at Colombia University digitizes and places on the Net all of its documents. Because the blueprints to my house were donated to Avery in the 1950’s, I can sign on anywhere in the world and look at the original drawings and the letters between the client and architect. I don’t have to go to New York City to look at them, or order expensive reproductions as I had to do even ten years ago.  I believe collections in the future will be almost entirely electronic. 

On the other hand, the social purposes of the library, while enhanced by teleconferencing, will be more important as touchstones of local community and personal gathering. Car clubs, mothers’ clubs, and dozens of meetings and programs will still be centered in libraries, I believe.

Candidate’s Statement

The Altadena Library is almost universally loved. The main library building was the last time that Altadena came together as a united community and together did something. The result is one of the best buildings of its generation in California. Our library, and all libraries, face a future that will be different from what we have known. Technology may make physical libraries relics of the past. As a community, we must have a serious conversation about what the future of our library system will be. 

Will the library become a Altadena-wide free use Kindle/internet/WiFi provider? Will it house and preserve books as objects? Will it become a form of social service agency, a combination of these?  The answers to those questions will require us to ask and answer: Should the District spend tens of millions on a building remodel, or on technology?  Do the literacy program and its facilities need expansion? 

My only opinion on these issues is that the District must in an honest, open, inclusive manner engage the Altadena Public in these decisions.  The present Library Board attempts to keep its elections secret and actively discourages candidates from running; its chair acts as agent for some, making our Library a closed network. 

The Altadena Library District needs people with skills in building construction and design, and I have those, but more importantly it needs people who are determined that Altadenans will be sought out and heard,  that the light of day and openness will be the touchstones of  the library. I have demonstrated in Altadena over decades of service, that I even invite to committees those who have opposite beliefs and agendas from myself.  I don’t believe we can otherwise go forward together. 

 We have even more difficult decisions than the Altadenans of 1962-66 who put our present library together . We cannot exclude each other, either from elections or discussions, and move forward.  I will work to keep the Library solvent, but more importantly I will work to bring us together, have all voices heard,  and craft our future.