Board hears concerns as state support for ZipBooks wanes; adviser urges library endowment

Library staff confirmed that the published budget is correct but said the department is already responding to reduced state support for ZipBooks and other programs.

A county official who addressed the board during the library item urged creating an external library endowment to allow tax‑advantaged donations and sustainable funding for the library. “My recommendation for the library would be we proactively work with the library advisory board, the board of supervisors, and we fund the structure and set up of a library endowment and then we advertise it to be available when people want to do that as part of their estate planning,” the official said.

Library staff said ZipBooks had been popular for residents and that the department has been compensating with Friends of the Library support and internal transfers; supervisors discussed options including establishing a nonprofit endowment external to county administration to accept deductible gifts and build a long‑term income stream.

No formal board action was taken, but staff said they would explore the mechanics of an endowment and coordinate with the library advisory board.