The Marin County Free Library would like to express our gratitude to the people of Marin County who voted to maintain Library services during these challenging economic times! Thank you!

With the passage of Measure A to help continue the funding of Library services many people have asked, "How will the Library be using the money raised by the measure?"

Despite making over $1.6 Million dollars in cuts since 2008, declining revenues and recent state budget cuts had meant the Marin County Free Library’s budget was exceeding expenditures by well over $1 million per year. The passage of measure A supplements the Library’s budget through a $49 per year parcel tax each of the next five years.

As promised during the campaign, the Marin County Free Library is committed to using the funding to preserve the key services the Library provides to our community. The funding provided by Measure A:

• Protects library branches from being closed. Without passage of the measure, the Library was looking at significant cuts in hours (over 20% less open hours for many locations). Thanks to the funding provided by Measure A, these cuts will not occur.
• Maintains children's programs and services. The Library has always played a key role in educating youth. Library books and programs help parents get their children started on the right track with early literacy. The Library supplements the efforts of our schools by providing help with homework, keeping skills up through Summer Reading and many other programs that enrich learning. The funding Measure A provides ensures the Library will be able to continue to provide these essential services.
• Preserves programs and services for disabled residents. The measure will fund ADA improvements to our buildings and preserves the Library Beyond Walls program that brings the library to those that cannot leave their home.
• Safeguards vital educational and job training information available for low-income residents. One of the ironies facing libraries across the country during this recession has been that their business is booming, but their budgets have been cut at a time when the services they provide have been needed the most. Thanks to Measure A, the Library will be able to continue offering programs, training, and materials to help.
• Enables the Library to do badly needed maintenance on our buildings. The funds will also be used to make physical improvements that will allow us to operate our branches more effectively and efficiently.

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The Marin County Free Library and the residents who visited our local branches are thankful to voters for strongly supporting Measure A in the June 2010 election. For the last year we have been working diligently to ensure that we fulfill Measure A's promise to voters.

Connecting with Reading

• Increased access to millions of items through partnerships with Dominican University and Link+
• Circulated over 1.7 million items with a budget of over $1 million

Engaging Our Community

• Hired critical, long-vacant positions of Branch Managers and Teen Librarian
• Collaborated with Bolinas Stinson Beach Library Improvement Society to expand hours at the Bolinas and Stinson Beach libraries

Rethinking Our Spaces for Better Community Use

• Purchased new hybrid Bookmobile
• Completed required accessibility improvements to the Fairfax Library bathrooms and Novato courtyard
• Planning and design work underway on functional renovations for the Civic Center, Corte Madera, Fairfax, Marin City and Novato libraries

Improving the Customer Experience

• Rollout of improved website and increased social media presence
• Began offering more high demand items with the new "Lucky Day" collection and circulating Nooks

Focusing on Services for Youth

• Offered 1,360 children and teen programs with 38,884 attendees
• Increased children's book budget by over 25%

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