The quarterly book sale at the Skillman Southwestern Library began quietly, amid questions about whether it might be the last of its kind.
Visitors, some as young as one year old, flocked to the library on Saturday to purchase books from the library’s collection to raise money for programs and cultural activities at their local branch that are often not covered by the city budget.
Countless books – first editions, Dallas authors, travelogues – were available at half price.
And now this chapter could come to an end.
The city council proposed a $5 billion budget as demands to finance a $4 billion pension deficit continue to grow. Every department was asked to make cuts. The northeast branch of the library was also affected by the proposed cuts.
Library board members and users who live in nearby apartments are urging the city to reverse its decision. They stood outside and handed out leaflets for a petition against the move. So far, over 2,000 citizens have signed.
Ann Stillman, one of the book sale volunteers, said she saw all kinds of people, from young mothers with strollers to neighborhood families, coming through the doors to attend the various services.
“It’s not just the books, it’s the space,” she said.
Maggie Watson, who visits the library once a week, heard about the closure from another patron and started the petition with the goal of reaching more than 500 community members.
Watson takes the number 17 bus, which stops on both sides of Skillman, right in front of the library.
“I can get there in less than five minutes,” Watson said. On mild days, she could walk there in 15 minutes.
She wondered what she would have to do to get to the Vickery Meadow branch, which ran across the Northwest Highway. Since her current bus route doesn’t go there, she would have to change at least once.
“I know that many residents will not do this. They will simply stop using the library,” Watson fears.
The numbers game
Acting City Manager Kim Tolbert said officials have taken a close look at each branch in the system and concluded that the larger and newer branch in Vickery Meadow could fill the gap because it is only a mile away. The city is considering installing book vending machines in the area for library card holders.
Mary Jo Giudice, director of the Dallas Public Library, said bonds worth $262,000 to upgrade the library’s bathrooms will be distributed to other branches under the American Disabilities Act.
Patrons have been asked to pick up books from other library branches and have been informed that the library branch is expected to close its doors next month.
Built in 1996, Skillman Southwestern is one of the city’s smaller branches. Before budget negotiations, city officials planned to expand the library to 30,000 square feet, double its current size, to accommodate the area’s growing population, according to the Dallas Public Library’s Strategic and Facilities Plan.
The strategic plan also recommended relocating the library to another location further south to provide better public access.
The city government said the cuts to the library system, which include the elimination of 24 positions, will generate $1.9 million in revenue.
Council member Paula Blackmon, who represents the area, said the biggest challenge is figuring out what needs to be cut or eliminated to ensure the library can survive, with budget problems putting the city in a bind.
The city is paying an additional $202 million into the pension fund, increasing public utility fees to provide better sanitation and combat homelessness, she said.
“This is the beginning of a series of changes in the city’s service sector. People are dissatisfied. I know that. I am dissatisfied too, but I have to look at the whole city,” she said.
In the meantime, Blackmon said she is also considering introducing a budget amendment to save the library. “I don’t know if I’ll get enough support, but I’ll try,” she said.
She is also in touch with nearby apartment complexes like the Village and public facilities like the theater to find out where the city can replicate library services.
“Let’s figure out how we can do this in a different location, close to where (the guests) are,” Blackmon said.
Efforts to prevent closure
News of a possible closure worried local residents Caitlin Dolt and Ashley Grossman.
“I chose to live here because I can see books from my living room window at a local library. That’s my polling place, and there’s a crochet club there that I love,” said Dolt, 23.
Libraries provide language courses and computers to low-income students and families.
“It’s a balance,” Grossman said. “The library has always allowed me to make friends in my area that I would never have met before.”
Grossman, 24, said she grew up at the Dallas Public Library. As a child, she and her brother would brainstorm about which books they wanted to check out and how many they could check out.
The two saw Watson’s petition and began making leaflets.
“Hey, if there are two things alumni do, we make a Canva (a graphic design website),” Dolt joked.
They began contacting council members, city officials and state representatives. They printed hundreds of flyers to put in mailboxes and even a Whataburger.
They also agreed to speak at the August 21 City Council meeting, wearing large red pins in support of the library system.
Grossman said she wasn’t sure what would happen next. Council members have until Aug. 30 to propose changes to the budget. But she has a plan.
“I’m just going to keep promoting it, collecting signatures on the petition and making sure people come to their district meetings. And hopefully – fingers crossed – it makes a difference and we can keep it,” Grossman said.
