Proposition 13 – America’s Second Great Tax Revolt

A Forty Year Struggle for Library Survival

Charles I. Guarria
Emerald
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Hardback
9781787690189
06 December 2018
£71.99
eBook (PDF)
9781787690172
06 December 2018
£71.99
eBook (ePub)
9781787690196
06 December 2018
£71.99

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  • Description
  • Contents
  • Reviews
  • About
In 1978, the citizens of California took the historic step of voting for Proposition 13, thus reducing property taxes by 57%. Already known as a trend setting state, California’s tax revolt was no different, as similar tax revisions quickly spread across the United States of America. In California, state and local governments struggled to find a way to manage the loss in revenue. On many occasions budget cuts were the solution. Library budgets were frequently the target of those cuts. 

Proposition 13 - America’s Second Great Tax Revolt details how libraries prioritized, managed and reacted to hardships in this new world, and have done so in California for the last forty years where Proposition 13 is still the law. Library and information science professionals were facing budget cuts that were as high as 65% with little to no guarantee of what future budgets were to be. The actions they took, and the rationale behind those actions, offer significant lessons to be learned by the library community on both an academic and practitioner level. 

Exploring the intended and unintended consequences of Proposition 13, this book provides an insightful understanding of how to manage a library budget given a difficult funding situation. It examines the thought processes behind government financing and spending priorities, and considers how libraries can organize, and participate in activism to influence decision makers.

Chapter 1. 1978-1980: In the Beginning  Chapter 2. 1980-1989: Transition and Uncertainty  Chapter 3. 1990-1999: In Like a Lion Out Like a Lamb  Chapter 4. 2000-2010: Good Times and Bad Times in California and Countrywide  Chapter 5. 2011-2016: Where Are We Now

    Guarria briefly describes how Californians overwhelmingly passed a 1978 amendment to the state constitution that decreased property taxes by 57%, but his primary focus is how libraries across the state have survived under drastically reduced budgets in the four decades since Proposition 13 passed. He details the decisions involved in managing public and academic libraries on restrictive budgets and explores ways in which libraries can advocate for funding and influence policy that affects tax-dependent libraries and their stakeholders. His chapters cover each decade to the present -- 1978-79: in the beginning, 1980-89: transition and uncertainty, 1990-99: in like lion out like a lamb, 2000-10: good times bad times in California and countrywide, and 2011-16: where we are now.

    - Annotation ©2019
    Charles I. Guarria entered the library profession in 1998. He began his career working for Lehman Brothers in New York City, where he was promoted to Assistant Vice President. In 2004, he joined Long Island University as a library faculty member and is currently an Associate Professor working in the Acquisitions Department. He has published several journal articles on the topics of economics and libraries and is a three-time winner of Emerald Group Publishing’s Highly Commended Award. Charles currently resides in Long Island, New York.