Library panel still mulling literacy effort

The Del Norte County Library District Board did not make any decisions on the future of the cash-strapped Del Norte Reads program Thursday.

The board didn’t even get to that item on the agenda before members of the public in attendance started making passionate pleas to keep the literacy program and its manager Kelley Nolan.

Board members tried to make it clear to Del Norte Reads volunteers, graduates of the program and concerned residents that they didn’t want to get rid of the program, but there isn’t sufficient funds to keep Nolan employed to run Del Norte Reads.

“The last thing we want is to see this program go,”  said Board Member Jeanne Bishop.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal cuts funding for Del Norte Reads, which has about $42,000 left in its coffers. Its largest expense is Nolan’s salary and benefits. The board estimated it costs $5,000 to run Del Norte Reads each month, including $500 in rent (the program is housed at the library).

“When you don’t have money, you can’t do things,” said Dennis Sutton, president of the board.

The board instructed Nolan to look for grant funding for literacy services (one possibility is a Community Development Block Grant) and Sutton said he would look into other funding.

Local resident Richard Miles, who used to sit on the Library Board, said that there is funding available. He implored board members “to go to local representatives and ask for the small amount of literacy funds being passed to RHS (Rural Human Services).”

Local resident Charlie Wick said the board should be looking for partnerships in the county to tap into funding “to keep this program running.”

“You could be politically pro-active,” Wick said.

Sutton said he was concerned with forming partnerships because the Library Board has been “burned” in the past.

One idea from the meeting was to partner with College of the Redwoods, Del Norte, since the literacy program helps people get their GED so they can attend college.

Board member Carol Layton said that the days of relying on government funding are gone and literacy is an issue the community can rally around by “pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.”

Discussion about funding the program will continue at the next meeting Feb. 9 at the library, 9 a.m.

Reach Kelley Atherton at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it