The idea to establish a library in Dixon was first proposed by the members of the Women's Improvement Club. This concept continued to developed and as a result three club members requested legislative action from Sacramento to create a special district in Dixon to provide library service. In 1911 the sought-for approval was confirmed. In order to seek funding for the building's construction, the Women's Improvement Club petitioned support from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Mr. Carnegie's reply came in the form of a check for ten thousand dollars. Consequently, in 1913, Dixon Library first opened its doors and has served ever since as the community's library. The original Carnegie building (current picture), located on East B Street, is one of the few original Carnegie Libraries still operating as a library in the United States.
Once dedicated in February 1913 as a special district library, the Dixon Union High School District Library, as it was formerly called, was governed by a five-member Governing Board of Library Trustees who were also the elected school board members for the Dixon Unified School District. As a special district library, the Dixon Public Library has managed to provide quality library service to this community for more than 85 years. There are only eleven special district libraries in California, four of which are school district libraries such as Dixon's. These special district libraries are totally independent of any city or county agency's political or financial control. Responsibility for special district library operations resides with a Governing Board of Library Trustees and a Library Commission.
From 1913 to 1970 the Dixon Unified School District Governing Board of Library Trustees directly oversaw the operation of the Dixon Unified School District Library District (the name change occurred in 1968). In 1970 a five-member Library Commission was established to act for the Trustees in reviewing library matters relating to operations and policies. The Library Trustees still retain the powers for final budget approval and land acquisitions. The District Librarian is responsible for the implementation of Commission decisions and with the day-to-day administration of the library. Since 1913 there have been ten district librarians.
From 1912 to 1957, under the Trustee's guidance, the town of Dixon was well served by its library. However, by the mid-fifties it became obvious that additional space was needed to better serve the expanding community. By late 1957, the Trustees agreed that a new wing which would provided separate areas for Children's and Reference services should be added onto the original Carnegie building. Construction work to accomplish that goal was completed in 1958.
In a further attempt to increase library service levels for Dixon residents, by the mid-sixties the Dixon Library had contracted for certain library services to be provided to Dixon by the Solano County Library System. By 1968, Dixon Library decided to terminate that agreement, but the concept of increasing the availability of library services and materials for the people of Dixon was not abandoned. By the mid-seventies, Dixon Library once again acknowledged the benefits of resource sharing by joining the Mountain Valley Library System (MVLS). The MVLS is a network of neighboring libraries to the east, north-east and south-east of Dixon which acts cooperatively to share library resources among library system members. The MVLS association affords the people of Dixon Interlibrary Loan privileges with all member libraries: fourteen public, including Sacramento, Yolo County and Roseville, nine academic, one of which is U.C. Davis, and six special, including the California State Library.
Proposition 13's passage in 1978 caused a temporary lag in public service by Dixon Library due to unanticipated revenue loss. Local library services were resumed at reduced levels when Dixon Library's funds along with those of other California Special District Libraries were subsidized by Special District Augmentation Funds This financial assistance allowed for the resumption of public service but not to pre-Prop 13 levels. Special District Augmentation Funds were intended as bail-out money to help special districts (and some county special district libraries such as Solano) hit hardest by Proposition 13's property tax restructuring efforts. In 1994, the Special District Augmentation Fund was totally eliminated. The cumulative effect of revenue lost from Augmentation funds coupled with the 1992/93 state shift of property tax from counties to the state reduced revenue levels for all California Libraries, including Dixon's, to the bare minimum.
By mid-1987, the library commission had to once again evaluate library service needs and funding levels. Library space was at a premium, and funds were not adequate to provide for facility maintenance, expansion, and increases in library service levels. Therefore, in November of 1987, a ballot measure with a five-year limit was offered to the people of Dixon which would enable the library both to rehabilitate and expand the facility and to increase library services. The measure passed, and construction on the new wing, which now serves as the library's entrance, was completed in April of 1990. In 1992, the original Carnegie Library was renovated. As a result of the expansion program, today's library provides more than 6,000 square feet of usable space.
The years from 1992 to 1996 proved to be real financial challenges not only to the Dixon Library but to all libraries in California. As a counteractive action, legislation passed in 1997 provided all California counties with the potential for voter-approved sales tax generated revenue to fund their local libraries. In June 1998, voters of Solano County passed such a measure to provide revenue for all libraries in Solano County over the next sixteen years. Funds secured from Measure B will allow Dixon Library not only to restore lost services but to use this revenue in ways which will enhance the library's value to the community along with the quality of life for all Dixon residents. Priorities for expenditure of this revenue will be implemented by the Dixon Library as the funds are actually received.
Current library holdings include over 26,000 volumes, 60 magazine titles and 4 newspapers, including the Dixon Tribune on microfilm back to 1874. The library also offers non-print materials such as recorded books, language instruction cassettes, video cassettes, and educational CD's. Technology has come to the library in the form of several computer terminals which provide INTERNET, word processing, and educational software capabilities for public use. The Dixon Public Library is now beginning to implement an automation plan to computerize its records thereby enabling faster, better, and more accurate services to its patrons both in the library and from home.
The permanent staff members work during closed hours to do administrative and clerical jobs that can not be accomplished while the public is being served. Administrative duties performed during closed hours by the District Librarian are report and grant writing, program planning and development, budget preparation, policy papers, contacting other library administrators and governmental agencies, perusing professional materials, staff hiring, training, supervising and evaluating, selecting books and non-print materials, handling and answering all correspondence, meeting with other professionals and members of the public, attending meetings and workshops, preparing for Commission and Governing Board meetings, and participating in ad-hoc library support issue related committees. In addition to administrative duties, the District Librarian along with the Library Assistant II performs the following clerical tasks during closed hours: pre-school and summer reading storytimes and craft activities, library tours for students and public, training of volunteers, cataloging and processing of books and magazines, interlibrary loans, keeping statistics, processing new library patron applications, INTERNET training for public, performing INTERNET searches, generating overdue and lost book notices and letters, reshelving books, preparing claims for bill payments, financial transactions, maintaining and weeding the magazine and book collections, and other tasks which free employees during open hours to better assist the public.
MCCreated and posted on September 16, 1998.
