Yesterday, I wrote about the library budget cuts that will force the majority of Seattle Public Library branches to close on Friday and Sunday and operate under seriously reduced hours. I linked to a Friends of the Seattle Public Library questionnaire in which candidates were asked what they think about library budget cuts, and I noted that neither mayoral candidate had responded to Friends of the Library. Here's the question as FoL worded it:

Question: Given a shortfall in city revenues and additional budget cuts necessary for 2010, how important is it to a) maintain hours at current levels, b) improve funding levels for collections, which includes public computers and c) to restore the capital budget for building maintenance?

Very soon after yesterday's post went live, I received the McGinn response.

The short answer is that I think it is very important. Having the libraries closed for a week indicates our failing as a city; if we cannot prioritize, do more with less, and keep our libraries open we don’t have a city that works. All Seattleites deserve to have access to knowledge, resources, and computers. In some cases, access to computers and the internet is essential for those who may not have those resources elsewhere.

I have already put forward a proposal on how to reduce costs in government without affecting services. I also oppose repeal of the head tax, which raises over $5 million a year. Finally, This is why my position on the deep bore tunnel is important: when we are not committing ourselves to a project that is unfunded, risky, and will include dramatic cost overruns, we will be more free to support the many other basic services that are essential.

And then later last night, I received Mallahan's response:

City government is considering closing 21 of our city's library branches two days a week. The cost saving to the city budget is $1.2 million. However, I would encourage city hall to make budget cuts in ways that won't hinder people's ability to find jobs and help our economy recover more quickly.

Closing libraries, even if only for a couple of days, has a negative impact on our communities and disproportionately impacts seniors and low income families who rely on libraries for access to the internet for information, communicating with others and job hunting. These are vital community services and I will look for ways to keep our libraries open and operating at current hours.

That's a lot of political-speak—and Mallahan comes out harder for libraries than McGinn here—but both of these responses give me a faint hope that whoever wins will take the library more seriously than Nickels has.