Second Commentary - November 20, 2025 Library Commission Meeting

Jason Gibbs Public Comment

I too would like to highlight page 19, staff assistance. And when you're speaking of staff's assistance, you're talking about frontline staff, librarians, technicians, assistants, pages, custodians, security, people who are serving the public every day. And that's where the greatest satisfaction comes from. and and I feel like it would be worth your time to make a commendation to frontline staff of the San Francisco Public Library. The library has something called staff appreciation, but this past year it was relegated to people who were meeting with the city librarian strategic priorities as opposed to providing the everyday fine service that the public sees and appreciates. Um, I thought it was an apt metaphor to call the staff a symphony, but uh the problem is that I it feels like the library administration doesn't really know the musicians and the parts they play. Um, so that that's I so I again I want to be very happy about that. And when we look at circulation statistics and traffic, we also have to keep in mind that the population of the city of San Francisco has actually shrunk some. So the fact that we're holding our own is showing in a way that we're act growing and doing very well. Thank you.

Commissioner Shawn Calhoun

Thank you. I really just want to echo what Pete said. This is very difficult work. The statistical work in particular is impressive. To have the level of confidence that we need to be able to sit here and and truly trust these data is no small feat. So to all the folks who made this happen, uh one small just fact, the city population actually has been increasing the last 3 years. And so to actually um continue to do this when we are serving net new people is pretty remarkable as well. I just wanted to make sure that that was out there as well. But thank you to everyone who uh created this report. 

Email from Jason Gibbs to the Library Commission on December 7, 2025

During public comment at the November 20, 2025, I made a statement regarding to numbers of library visits remaining strong and steady. I remarked that this is outstanding because the population of San Francisco is actually decreasing. 

Later in the meeting Commissioner Calhoun contracted my statement asserting that San Francisco population is on the rise. The format of Library Commission meetings does not allow members of the public to comment on statements made by the commissioners, so I am I’ trying to contact the commission by correspondence. 

I am writing to provide evidence showing that my remarks were factual and accurate. Unlike the rest of California, San Francisco continues to lose population. This information comes from the state’s Department of Finance. 

https://www.kqed.org/news/12038968/californias-population-rebounding-san-francisco-different-story 

San Francisco's population has dropped 3,300 since last year and over 30,000 since 2000. 

I might also add that the Main Library used to get a great deal more foot traffic before the year 2000 before government workers in the Civic Center were permitted to work all or or parts of the schedule from home. 

In light of this the library’s public service numbers are quite robust and worthy of celebration.

Commentary from the November 20, 2025 Library Commission meeting

Peter Warfield public comment:

I tried to be a little bit discreet about why I was speaking about contingency planning, including the fact that I'd never been to a fire. I've never had a fire drill going on while I was at the library. So, let me tell you, there was a shooting outside that killed one of the people that involved the library's security folks and the library simply announced at about 5:00 on a Friday afternoon that they were closing. And I was sitting at a computer and I asked my neighbor, I said, "Did I understand correctly there?" There was no explanation given. It was completely in a sense chaotic. There was no staff or anybody else telling where to go. There was nobody saying where we should leave in which direction. Nothing. That's why.

Jason Gibbs public comment:

Good afternoon. Jason Gibbs, retired librarian. Sorry to be a bummer, but as Mr. Warfield noted, there was a murder at the public library, at this library. I did some investigation and the events had nothing to do with the library or its service. There were two people having their own beef outside, but that was never communicated to staff. Staff were rightly concerned that we could have had an armed murder inside of the building without any information about it. 

One thing you should know is that our security staff was excellent. One of them tried to stop the bleeding, which was profuse. This was ultimately unsuccessful because the man died even though the City Librarian never sent out notice of this happening. The murdered person was from Urban Alchemy with whom the library has worked with very closely and many staff members feel a close relationship to. They've  actually been a real asset to the library. People who are really serious about turning their lives around. 

That's what makes this event so unfortunate. So when I read about it happening, I thought, is it that guy at the Bridge? I sort of imagined that it was somebody intimately involved the library. Fortunately, it wasn't. 

But it also brings up the fact that library staff are routinely threatened by members of the public. We joke that at least once a week somebody will say to you, after you've told to adjust their behavior,  "I'm going to see you outside." And of course 99.9% of the time that doesn't happen, but it can happen and people are are truly worried and this whole event had a profound effect on staff morale at the Main Library and people feel like there was no leadership. And that the leadership did not really address the concerns of the library staff after this event. Thank you.

"Urban Alchemy worker killed after asking man to stop using drugs outside library" - KTVU.

"Colleagues mourn Urban Alchemy worker killed in front of San Francisco library" - KNTV.

"Urban Alchemy worker asked a man to stop using drugs outside S.F. Main Library. Now he’s dead" - Reddit.

"San Francisco Urban Alchemy ambassador dies days after being shot outside public library" - KGO

"San Francisco street ambassador slain while confronting drug user by library" - KRON

"San Francisco street ambassador fatally shot while trying to deter drug user" - Los Angeles Times

"San Francisco street ambassador shot dead while confronting drug user outside library" - New York Post

"Shooting in front of City Hall took place about 30 minutes ago," Tenderloin Activities [Twitter]