Jacob Schear is a library worker writing on behalf of the Executive Board of AFSCME Local 2083, Seattle Public Library Employees Union. He does not speak for The Seattle Public Library.
We Seattle Public Library workers welcome thousands of people to our 27 locations every day, from readers downloading the latest e-book, to families enjoying story times and picture books, to English language learners seeking classes and tutoring, to our unhoused neighbors coming to access services and resources. Many of us have been here for decades, and our commitment to creating a thriving library system is deep and genuine.
Our ability to do so will be compromised if voters do not approve the library levy, Proposition 1, this primary election. If this property tax levy does not pass, The Seattle Public Library will be out one-third of its funding when it expires at the end of this year. These funds pay for a quarter of our staff and provide critical support for our learning and literacy programming as well as our physical and digital collections. Additional funds from the $480 million, 7-year levy will be used to address community needs and urgent renovations to ensure library buildings remain accessible for all. Ballots are due by August 4.
While it is true the levy will increase property taxes—a modest $9 more per month for the average homeowner—it’s necessary to address inflation, make up for cuts to the library’s annual budget, and support the increased use we see at our branches. Book checkouts continue to rise, the number of Seattleites with library cards continues to grow (SPL set a record for active users last year with 430,000), branches continue to age and require greater upkeep and safety improvements, and the costs for everything continue to go up. If you take issue with the increased dependence on property tax levies, blame our state’s regressive tax code.
The stakes are very high: failing to pass this levy would result in closed branches, bare bookshelves, programs and services ended or reduced, and staff cutbacks that would severely impact our ability to do our jobs and meet the needs of our patrons.
A vote against Proposition 1 is a vote to defund our library system. You would not know this, however, if you read the Seattle Times Editorial Board’s recent non-endorsement of the levy, which we think obscured the consequences of voting no and threatened the future of the library, the people who work there, and the public we serve.
In the piece, the Editorial Board wrote that it “treasures libraries” and admits that everything the proposed levy would fund, from expanded collections to cybersecurity improvements to seismic safety retrofits at historic branches, are “worthy expenditures.”
But they quibble with the levy’s overall cost and the $69 million the City Council added to the proposal (less than $10 million per year over the next 7 years) to support things like elevator repairs, social services referrals, and more digital book offerings. They leave readers with the impression that this levy should fail and the Mayor and City Council should put forward a new, cheaper version.
This is dangerously misleading. Even if the City assembled another proposal—a complex and time-consuming process—and voters approved it, the resulting cuts, closures, and layoffs would reverberate through the system and the community for years.
The members of the Editorial Board are not facing reality—failing to approve Proposition 1 would devastate our library system. In treating it like a proxy vote on their gripes with taxes or our City Council, the Editorial Board has put our world-class libraries at risk.
Amidst a national climate of fear, censorship, and the targeting of our most vulnerable communities, this is not the time to consider defunding an institution that stands for education and knowledge and works to ensure that all of our neighbors have free and equal access to information, joy, and connection.
Libraries show us a path towards a better society that is egalitarian, inclusive, and deeply driven by learning, curiosity, and openness to other ways of thinking and perceiving the world. All are welcome at our library, and we look forward to continuing and building upon this commitment through your support.
We ask Seattle voters to stand by library workers and those we serve by voting yes on Proposition 1 by August 4.
