The Last Library Just Closed in Douglas County, Oregon (HBO)

Last November,
voters in rural Douglas County, Oregon were faced with a simple choice:
raise property taxes by a few dollars a month per household,
or close down their entire library system.
They voted against the tax increase,
so over the past few months,
all 12 branches in the county shut their doors.
Dexter Thomas was there as the last one closed for good.
— So the kids understand that there’s not gonna be a library anymore?
You guys, thanks so much for coming in.
— It’s nice to have opportunity to check out a lot of books.
I mean, there’s a used bookstore in town,
but there’s no more new bookstore in town.
— What you think about the library, Gus?
You like it here?
— I love it.
— Yeah?
What’re you hiding for? Come out here, come on.
— Yeah, come on.
— Mommy, I wish I could go to the library every day.
— Try a little harder to be a little better.
Decisions determine destiny.
What’s wrong with doing the right thing?
It’s just a phrase I thought of one day and I liked it,
so I put it up there to remind me.
— Harold Hayes has been the Director of the Douglas County Library system for four years.
He’s worked in rural libraries for over 20.
Hayes estimates close to half of county residents have used the library.
— Obviously, I chose librarian as a career
because the libraries mean something to me.
When you look at a totality of a community,
you want libraries, parks, museums, quality of life issues.
When you start whittling those away,
people are no longer drawn to either come or stay in such a community.
And so, it affects everyone—
whether or not you, as an individual, use that library or not.
— I think that’s one of the things that—
they differ a little bit,
where they say, “All the information I need is on Google,”
“If I want a book, I can get something off Amazon.”
— That’s great if you can afford those books on Amazon.
I can’t afford all the books I read.
— Douglas County stretches over 5,000 square miles of southwest Oregon.
It’s an area the size of Connecticut.
In the 1930s,
it was known as the timber capital of the nation.
Royalties from the timber industry poured tens of millions of dollars a year into the county’s budget.
But in the ‘90s,
conservation efforts led to tougher restrictions,
and logging dropped by 90%.
The federal government stepped in to help the county pay for social services.
But three years ago, that safety net went away too.
Gary Leif is one of three county commissioners:
— So back in the ‘90s,
we used to make over $50 million worth of timber revenues.
In two and half years,
we’re gonna fall off that fiscal cliff,
where we don’t have any more monies left over.
— So at a certain point, you have to start asking for tax money for things?
— Either that, or cutting.
You gonna vote for libraries, or are you gonna vote for public safety?
I know what the choice would be for me, if I can only afford one.
— Oregon voters pay some of the lowest taxes in the country:
there’s no state sales tax and there’s a cap on personal property taxes.
But budgets are shrinking,
and residents in this deeply conservative county—
where the median household income is around $40,000 a year—
are being asked to pay for more:
it costs $3 to throw away a can of trash at the landfill,
and $4 to use the public parks.
It would have cost families $6 a month to keep the libraries open.
— The kids have been asking this last month,
“Can we go one more time?”
— 55% of residents voted against that tax,
including Amy and Bill Cannaday:
— You know, if it was like me,
it’s frustration that property taxes continue to rise and services continue to fall.
It’s a frustration.
— So would you say this is a tax thing, this is a values thing?
— For me, it’s a tax thing.
— Are you mad at all?
— Furious.
Yes!
It’s this huge loss for the community,
and individuals who use the library.
It’s also a personal loss.
— You’re about to be out of a job.
— I’m about to be out of a job.
It’s much more than just a job—
these people actually help people every day.
How can that not make a difference when that goes away?
So yeah, my staff really feels it.
And… so do I.
Today is the last day that the Douglas County Library System will have any facility open.
— Thank you for all you’ve done.
— You’re very welcome, you’re very welcome.
It’s been my pleasure.
— It’s a very sad day for very many people in the county.
People are coming in, expressing their grief.
I’ve had to do this several times today,
it’s not been very easy.
Thank you.
Thank you.
— I love libraries, I wish you were still here.
— Yep.
— I want you to know,
you’ve been probably the best boss I ever had.
— There’s no question to be answered,
there’s no solution to be given.
We’re closing the library,
so all you can do is kind-of listen.

The Last Library Just Closed in Douglas County, Oregon (HBO)

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