Libraries may be caught in a funding crunch if the Proposition 13 taxpayers’ revolt spreads through the nation, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye said last night.

Libraries thus must make efforts to reach beyond the “small intellectual elite” if they are to survive, he said.

Librarians must ensure that all segments of an increasingly democratic society understand the vital functions performed by them, or be threatened by a “wave of resentment of large-scale government bureaucracy” which will cut into government services, he said.

Inouye made his remarks in a keynote speech before the Second Governor’s Conference on Library and Information Services, which began last night at the Pagoda Hotel. …

Throughout history, Inouye said, those responsible for the transmission of knowledge have occupied “an honored and central role in society.”

“In certain societies, such as the Hawaiian, those entrusted with the responsibility for the keeping and transmission of the (historical) record through chants and stories were personages of high rank,” he said.

But the role of libraries as a “storehouse of written enlightenment” has changed in the United States with the advent of mass communications in the form of magazines, daily newspapers, paperback books and television, he said.

Because of that, visits to community libraries “have become rare occurrences for far too many people,” Inouye said.

Libraries, particularly in light of the California proposition, which slashes some $7 billion in property taxes from the state budget with a resulting loss in government services, must confront this change in earnest, the senator said.

“Many find great difficulty in making the connection between taxes paid and services delivered,” he said. “Libraries may be caught in this crunch. Their supporters must take action to deal with this situation.” …

To gather support, libraries must go beyond traditional services and offer such things as Sunday hours and programs for office workers during weekday lunch breaks, he said. Such experimentation is already being conducted and has been well met, he noted.

Every Sunday, “Back in the Day” looks at an article that ran on this date in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The items are verbatim, so don’t blame us today for yesteryear’s bad grammar.