Residents met again to discuss the fate of the city's libraries, as officials described several issues that complicate any resolution of the matter

At a meeting attended by 50-plus residents -- hosted by City Councilwomen Jean Quan of District 4 (Montclair-Laurel) and Jane Brunner of District 1(North Oakland) Monday at the Main Library, residents heard that cuts could entail the loss of 60 or more full-time employees, the closure of several branch libraries and the reduction in hours at many facilities.

And the proposed $1.7 million in cuts won't be the last, warned Quan and Brunner.

In addition to feeling the impact from city, country and state budget woes, the libraries are facing the potential loss of funds from vehicle license fees. The loss of these fees may reduce city revenues by as much as $7.5 million, Brunner said. The potential loss in library revenues will return the libraries to their 1991-92 budget level of about $7.8 million.

In the early 1990s, the libraries faced similar problems, but they were saved by the passage of Measure O, a parcel tax, in 1994. Measure O stipulated that the libraries would be eligible to receive funds as long as the city put at least $7.8 million into the library's general fund and kept branches open five days a week.

The shortcoming of Measure O, according to Kathleen Hirooka, the libraries' community relations coordinator, is that its authors didn't take inflation into account. "The $7.8 million will not buy today what it could in 1994."

There also is the question of eligibility: Will the libraries' eligibility for Measure O funds be threatened, by branch closures and service reductions? The potential loss of Measure O funds could decrease revenue by an additional 20 percent, according to a library report.

Quan has called for legal analysis of Measure O. The law is vague, she said. "We may need to update Measure O in the long run. While the proposed cuts may violate the spirit of the law, it may not violate the letter of the law." In any case, the city councilwoman "is uncertain that Measure O will save (the libraries)."

"We must address the issue of how we fund libraries", said Quan, who anticipates that the libraries, as well as other city services, should expect to make another round of cuts in June.

Last November, the department was asked to cut 3 percent from its budget, or $150,000, by not filling vacancies and severely restricting the purchase of books and supplies, explained Carmen Martinez, director of libraries.

Employees with salaries in excess of $50,000 a year were asked to take a several days off each month without pay, vacancies have not been filled in the past year, and the book budget has been frozen.

"There is nothing left to cut except salaries," said Martinez.

"This branch has been here for 91 years," said Jamie Turbock of the Piedmont Avenue branch -- which is slated for closure. "It has survived the Depression, two world wars and the eighties. If this branch is closed, it will become a parking lot within two weeks."

The closure of libraries is counterintuitive to the idea of "livable communities," said Brunner, in which residents can walk to schools, recreation centers, parks, and stores -- but perhaps no longer their public library.

The Montclair branch opened in 1929. "People will be forced to go somewhere else," said branch manager Leon Cho. "A lot of people in this community walk to the library."

Cho worries that the proposed restriction in hours "may be a hardship, especially for the elderly, who may have to rely on public transportation to get around."

Then there are the children.

Like many branches, the Montclair branch is swarming with school age children after school, many who do their homework at the library until working parents can pick them up. When asked what will become of these kids if library hours are restricted, Cho imagines that they will hang out in front, as they do on Mondays when the library is closed.

Alicia Perez, a representative from Oakland schools superintendent Dennis Chaconas' office stressed that local libraries are more than a place to check out books. 'They provide a safe haven for children after school."

Libraries have picked up the slack for dwindling after-school programs, she said. This is especially true in poorer areas, in which parents cannot afford often pricey after school care.

And Quan reminded the public that the libraries in the hill are frequented by transfer students. "Oakland kids cannot take any further hits," Perez said. Many schools rely on public libraries to fill the gap for the own missing or floundering school libraries.

Resident Ken Katz suggested that the city auditor conduct a through investigation of the city budget in an effort "to reduce waste we know exists," before hacking at the budgets of library branches. "We want to cut as little as possible."

"We have cut police and fire," Brunner explained. "We never do that."

"If we win this one (for the libraries), we will go to the next round," she said, "and we will eventually have to find something we can live with."

A rally will be held at 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 7, on the steps of Frank Ogawa Plaza, just before the City Council meeting.