A news study shows the popularity of library branches in San Diego varies depending how attendance is measured. KPBS reporter Katie Orr has details.
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders has proposed closing seven library branches as a way to cut costs. The locations were based on attendance figures and proximity to other branches. But Independent Budget Analyst Andrea Tevlin says simple numbers may not tell the whole story. She points to the Ocean Beach location, which has been slated for closure.
Tevlin: 106 thousand people come through that library, or did in 2008. So if you like at that on an attendance per square footage basis, that’s 23 people per square foot coming into the library facility. Which is one of the highest per square footage visitor-ship numbers.
Tevlin says the report is meant to provide extra information as the city begins a budget process that could end with library closures.
Katie Orr, KPBS News.
