Proposition 13 - America's Second Great Tax Revolt (eBook)

In 1978, the citizens of California took the historic step of voting forProposition 13, thus reducing property taxes by 57%. Already knownas a trend setting state, California s tax revolt was no different,as similar tax revisions quickly spread across the United States ofAmerica. In California, state and local governments struggled to finda way to manage the loss in revenue. On many occasions budgetcuts were the solution. Library budgets were frequently the target ofthose cuts. Proposition 13 - America s Second Great Tax Revolt details howlibraries prioritized, managed and reacted to hardships in this newworld, and have done so in California for the last forty years whereProposition 13 is still the law. Library and information scienceprofessionals were facing budget cuts that were as high as 65%with little to no guarantee of what future budgets were to be. Theactions they took, and the rationale behind those actions, offersignificant lessons to be learned by the library community on bothan academic and practitioner level. Exploring the intended and unintended consequences ofProposition 13, this book provides an insightful understanding ofhow to manage a library budget given a difficult funding situation. Itexamines the thought processes behind government financing andspending priorities, and considers how libraries can organize, andparticipate in activism to influence decision makers.