Sonoma County public libraries now open on Mondays & later on Wednesdays--YEA!

Thanks to Measure Y, Mondays are back at Sonoma County libraries

CHRISTI WARREN, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | April 30, 2017

Today brings the first noticeable change to Sonoma County libraries since Measure Y passed in November: For the first time in six years, branches will be open Mondays.

Library branches around the county geared up last week by having the new hours stenciled on doors, with cheery blue-and-green “Open Mondays” signs stationed out front.

Behind the scenes, library administrators have been busy combing through applications to hire an additional 39 staffers to help fill out additional shifts required by the expanded hours.

“Restoring Mondays, I think, will be good for everyone,” said library Director Brett Lear. “The hours that we lost during the Great Recession, those impacted everyone. It’s hard when a child doesn’t have access to the library after school, and a lot of jobs are posted at the beginning of the week.”

Every library will now be open Mondays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. except Roseland (10 a.m.-2 p.m.), Occidential (noon-5 p.m.), Forestville (3-6:30 p.m.) and the Petaluma History Room, which remains closed. Wednesday hours are also being extended at most branches until 9 p.m.

The increases are a significant departure from the past six years, when libraries were only open until 6 p.m. during the week, and 4 p.m. Saturdays.

The Central Santa Rosa Library is the only one of the 17 branches still open Sundays, but Lear said that’s something commissioners could reconsider in the future.

Measure Y, which passed with 72 percent of the vote, increased county sales taxes by an eighth of a cent. The tax went into effect April 1 and is expected to pump an additional $10 million annually into the library’s current $17 million budget.

The system will start receiving revenue in July with the start of the new fiscal year.

For decades, the library was funded mainly through property taxes, capped at 22.5 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. A similar measure failed by about 4,000 votes in 2014, receiving 62 percent of the required 67 percent required to pass.

The 11-member Library Commission is set to adopt a new budget Monday, which includes a 67 percent increase in the book budget, translating into an additional 50,000 more items this year, Lear said, nearly doubling the 54,000 items the library could order each year previously.

“I’ve been next to my wife when she’s put a hold on a movie or something, and we’ll be No. 61 in the queue, so those waits will come way down,” Lear said.

Currently, the library system offers 900 adult classes and about 2,700 youth and teen classes.

The additional revenue will translate into an additional 4,500 youth and teen classes each year, 1,400 adult classes and revamped computer labs systemwide. Administrators are also looking into public lending of devices like laptops and e-readers.

“I think it’s going to be a very, very exciting year,” Lear said. “I think we’re going to take off like a rocket.”

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or [email protected]. On Twitter @SeaWarren.