1) Staffing: Over four times the space increases operating costs. The university can provide one employee for 30 hours per week and a work study student. A value of $27,000.

2) Maintenance and custodial will go up. The university can bring a potential value of $5,500 in hourly labor.

3) Books: Space could increase four times depending on allocation. The college would bring the books in the KPC library. Patrons would have access to books at University of Alaska Anchorage and Anchorage Municipal Library via online requests. The university plans to offer a degree in Marine Science in Homer, with reference books added to the collection. The value here is substantial.

4) Electronic database: Currently, the library has 34 (free) databases for Internet searches. The university would bring 100 additional sources, which they already pay licensing fees for at a whopping $450,000. These provide full text or abstract of journals, newspaper and even books not available in state.

5) Catalog system: HPL is planning to upgrade to an efficient, up-to-date system to catalog resources. The university is upgrading also and will pay a yearly fee. As a consortium member, HPL could save the setup fee, get a reduced rate or utilize the university's experience. Value $30,000

6) Computers: The university will provide one computer and retain its own separate computer lab for student use but provide computer support and maintenance to HPL. Value: $2,000

The project manager at San Jose State University/Municipal Consortium Library described many positive outcomes of a consortium:

San Jose went from 67 to 81 hours of operation. HPL is open 52 hours. With an additional 30 plus employee hours a week during peak usage they could provide evening hours, enabling teachers, students and patrons working 9 to 5 to use the library and a place for teens to study in the evenings after extra-curricular activities.

Interlibrary loans would be needed for those books not available through the consortium sources. In 2002 the library did 735 loans with charges of $2 or $3.50. With more online requests, a possible savings of $1,500.

Conflicting missions between a university and municipal library did not develop as expected in San Jose. The public enjoys having the university collection available and makes full use of it. Both libraries have improved and the populations use the library at different times.

Can Homer refuse the yearly resources the university is offering? Will we have an empty library available for meetings, but a meager book collection and limited hours? The university has no problem with recataloging its materials into Dewey Decimal and upfront monies may not be as important as what the college can bring for operating funds, a harder beast to feed.

Finally, merger of the libraries in Homer would benefit the whole community. There will be differences, a contract must be worked out. The University and City are technically non-profits and struggling. Many have learned in the past few years, to survive and provide services that each non-profit exists for, working together and complementing each other and utlizing each other's strengths is a must. Book collections can be improved, duplicity of books reduced, staffing and library hours increased. A synergistic effect, where the sum is greater than the parts; like 1 + 3 = 5. If the economy in Alaska declines with the oil and fishing industries, we must think positive and sideways, joining together to insure the continuation of the quality of life we desire. Someday, through computer technology we will have consortium libraries utilizing collections in public schools, private schools, universities, and even museums and other non-profits. Together we can have the fantastic library the founders of this library envisioned.

Janice Todd is a longtime Homer resident.