This is the scene San Jose library officials paint when describing what could happen if the benefit assessment fund that draws to a close at the end of 2004 is not renewed next year.

"If you picture a shelf with 10 books on it, seven of those 10 books would not be there if we didn't have the benefit assessment fund," said Suzanne Rostamizadeh, head librarian for the Almaden Branch.

Passed by San Jose voters in 1994, the 10-year fund program assesses $25 per single family parcel annually and that money is dedicated to funding the library materials budget. At the Almaden Branch, 71 percent of its materials budget came from the benefit assessment funds, purchasing 12 personal computers with Internet capability for public use, three self-checkout machines and more than 110,000 new items since its inception.

Rostamizadeh says the funding also paid for new carpet, paint and other needed repairs for the branch.

Officials say they are concerned voters will confuse the bond measures passed in 2000 with the assessment fund and the request for continuation of the fund. Monies from the 2000 bond are funding the construction of new libraries such as the Vineland Branch, which is scheduled to open in January, and the rebuilding of the Almaden Branch, on which work is scheduled to begin next spring. Monies from those bonds cannot be used to purchase materials such as books, magazines, CDs, DVDs or computers.

"Bonds are for bricks and mortar," said Edna Sewill, former city library commissioner. "This parcel tax would be for materials."

Library officials are hoping the San Jose City Council will agree to place the new funding program—expected to be a "parcel tax" this time, because state laws for the benefit assessment mechanism have changed since 1994—on the November 2004 ballot. Initially targeting the March ballot, officials say they were concerned there wouldn't be enough time to get their message out to voters. Though optimistic voters will pass the new measure—which will require a two-thirds majority—library workers want to make sure the community is informed of what the funding provides to the public.

"We've been able to buy videos, DVDs, children's media materials, books in different languages," said Jane Light, library director. "Most of the books sitting on the shelves were bought within the last 10 years with the benefit assessment dollars."

At the Almaden Branch, 16,400 new items were added during 2002­2003, compared to 7,100 items during the years of 1994­1995 before the assessment funding began.

During the 10 years since the program began, the branch has boasted huge growth in usage, reporting a 111-percent increase in items borrowed. Throughout the city library system, Light says items are borrowed an average of seven to nine times a year. That amount of usage will show wear and tear on books, DVDs, CDs and other library material, she said.

Funding for these materials does not come out of the city's general fund, which pays for about 80 percent of the library's operating costs such as employees' salaries and utilities, she said.

The size of the new assessment will be left up to the council, but library officials say they expect the dollar figure to remain constant at $25.

"It looks like right now it would be continuing at the same amount, so it's not like really adding anything," said Tim Karris, chair of the library commission.

Without that money, library workers fear they would not be able to keep up the number of programs and services they say the community has become accustomed to.

The library has grown increasingly dependent on new technology and electronic materials. This has enabled staff to keep material current, and has opened up shelf space for a variety of material—shelves that would otherwise be jammed with large volumes of research material that is now accessed through library computers. Many periodicals and journals that were once found only in print are now stored and viewed electronically, providing availability to more users and freeing up shelf space for magazines most popular for page turning, such as People, Rostamizadeh said.

"People have really responded to having a lot of choices on the shelves," Light says. "Today's users really want choices."

The continuation of the assessment would provide the library the funding necessary to maintain the personal computers used for research and machines used for self-checkout in the branches and to continually upgrade the software and materials.

"This is what makes our library a great place to come—resources within the community, technology and some staff to help people," Light says. "We lose our margin of excellence if we lose this funding."

Circulation throughout the system has increased by 180 percent over the years, Light says. Commenting on the number of visitors the system had last year, officials say the libraries had more than 5.4 million visits, which is more than the total number of tickets sold by the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's combined last season.

That's a lot of users, Light says, and many of them are children. Many of the children's programs wouldn't be available without the funding and much of the children's materials has been paid for by assessment dollars.

Rostamizadeh equates the library experience for children to education.

Experiences in the library as rated by the public are reported to be high. At the Almaden Branch, 91 percent of customers rated their experience as very good or excellent.

"Something they value very much is at risk," Light says.