Libraries provide a safe place for students to study and complete homework assignments, and for adults to gain practical skills through a variety of adult learning programs. When it comes to literacy, California fourth grade students ranked next to last on the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Adult illiteracy hurts our economic competitiveness, and family illiteracy is often passed from generation to generation. Proposition 14 can fund new libraries and renovate existing facilities. As California's population continues to climb, library visits have skyrocketed, causing an already underfunded system to deteriorate rapidly.
Many communities have no local libraries in areas where the population has grown significantly.
The lack of access makes it difficult for children and people with limited mobility to take advantage of important services such as children's story hours, student reading programs, and services for seniors and the disabled. Many of our libraries are either completely antiquated, or in need of significant remodeling. Facilities often lack the basics such as enough tables and chairs and books and materials for study and research for all library users. Proposition 14 returns money to local communities. Since this state funding will be available to renovate and remodel existing facilities or build new libraries, available local funds could be freed up to extend library hours, buy more books, expand reading programs, increase library visits to local schools, or offer more adult learning opportunities.