CAMAS — The Camas Public Library is the last independent library in Clark County, but that might change. City officials are considering whether the library should join the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, which operates all of the other libraries in Clark County, plus libraries in Skamania and Klickitat counties.
The change, discussed at a Jan. 4 Camas City Council workshop, could mean a larger selection of materials, including e-books, more technology and multiple copies of best-sellers for Camas residents. Fort Vancouver also offers a home-delivery service.
However, the city would take about a $100,000-a-year hit if the library were annexed, City Administrator Pete Capell said. Camas uses those library taxes to help pay for its information technology, human resources and finance departments, he said. Other concerns raised at the workshop included changes to library staffing and a loss of local control over beloved library programs.
The annexation has been considered in the past, and it was brought up again about a year ago when David Zavortink announced his retirement as director of the Camas library after more than 20 years at the helm. Camas Mayor Scott Higgins said it seemed like a good opportunity to re-examine how the library operates.
“It’s the right time to ask the question,” he said. “We wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t ask these kinds of questions and look into it. Whether we join (Fort Vancouver) or not, we want to keep working on our partnership with them and make sure it’s as strong as it can be.”
The Camas library and Fort Vancouver already work together. Patrons with a card to the Camas library can use it to request books from Fort Vancouver libraries, and people with Fort Vancouver library cards can use them in Camas, said Amelia Shelley, Fort Vancouver’s executive director.
“The nuances are around borrowing rules, such as how long an item can be overdue, how many items you can check out at a time,” Shelley wrote in an email.
The Camas City Council and Camas residents would need to vote on the annexation.
At the workshop, Capell asked the council for their opinion on three options: allow Fort Vancouver to annex the library into the district, work on a contract with the district for certain services, or remain independent and search for a new director.
A few city councilors expressed concerns about losing the five-member board of trustees that runs the library, essentially giving control to outside decision-makers.
“These sort of volunteer boards give our citizens a chance to serve their city,” Higgins said. “It’s a great way for the community to connect locally.”
Regarding the staffing concern, Shelley said Fort Vancouver would make its best effort to retain the current staff, but their positions and pay could change under new direction.
Community impact
Barbara Baldus asked officials what would happen to the Second Story Art Gallery, which is on the library’s second floor. It has rotating shows featuring local artists.
Baldus, president of the gallery, said she thinks Fort Vancouver wouldn’t keep that space solely for an art gallery, or that the gallery might get a rotating collection of art from other libraries as opposed to remaining local, which is a big focus for the gallery.
“On our First Fridays out here, we’ve been drawing 150 to 200 people to the gallery,” Baldus said. “We need a staff member to stay and keep it open two hours past that 6 p.m. closing time.”
If the gallery couldn’t stay open late in the space, “that is a huge hurt for First Friday in Camas,” she added. “It would take the wind out of the great art we’re having, because we can offer receptions with live music. I think we’re attracting better artists who get to put on a full-fledged show.”
Next moves
Higgins said the council will discuss the possible move at the city’s planning conference Jan. 29 and 30. He said he’d like to see the library and Fort Vancouver continue to share content, but that he’s leaning toward remaining independent. He has heard similar sentiments from residents, many of whom take pride in the city’s independence.
“If we stay independent or not, plenty of people probably wouldn’t notice, but there is a segment of the community who is extremely proud of how we’ve grown and what we’ve done here. They should be. I’m one of them.”
