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Honorable James R. Dawe, President

Library of California Board

P. O. Box 942837

Sacramento, CA 94237-0001

Dear Mr. Dawe:

As the Gold Coast Library Network develops its plans for the transition from a planning region to a full-fledged Library of California network, we have looked closely at various scenarios for membership, governance and funding. The vision of the Library of California is ambitious, and we are committed to being part of that vision, and part of the eventual success.

The planning process is one part of a much larger effort, some of which must be on the legislative front. We have questions about the lobbing effort involving local planning regions, the Library of California Board, the California State Library, and the California Library Association? Are there timelines and strategies for these activities? Are there any contingency plans, on a statewide level, to address concerns if Library of California funding remains inadequate for the full program?

As a planning region, we are doing our best to develop practical contingency plans for different scenarios, such as:

Full funding in a short time frame.

Full funding in a longer time frame.

Inadequate funding in a longer time frame.

We feel that the potential of the Library of California can only be realized if adequate funding is secured in a timely manner. Without adequate funding, potential members will lose interest and not become active participants.

We would appreciate hearing from your board on these important matters. We look forward to continued cooperation with your board toward our shared goals.

Sincerely,

Region VII Core Planning Group

Library of California