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Salinas Libraries to Stay Open with Fewer Employees, Reduced HoursAfter hearing testimony from Salinas (Calif.) Public Library employees and union officials who said the current staff is stretched too thinly, the city council voted 5–1 April 5 to authorize the city manager to reduce the hours of each of the three branches from 32 to 26 hours a week. The libraries have gone from 33.5 FTE staff to 23, due to retirements and resignations following the city’s issuing pink slips to all its employees in January in preparation for an expected shutdown in the spring. However, the closures have been averted by a fundraising effort that aims to keep the branches open on a limited schedule through December.Senior Library Technician Sylvia Garcia told councilors that remaining staff members have had to take on extra duties to fill service gaps, the Salinas Californian reported April 6. Assistant City Manager Jorge Rifa said the library lost two full-time children’s librarians, which has resulted in the cancellation of such services as a weekly storytime program. Councilors agreed to give library users at least 10 days advance notice before the reduced hours go into effect later this month. The three branches are also slated for a drastic reduction of hours beginning the week of June 20, when they will only be open 8–10 hours a week. Community activists organized a 24-hour Read-In April 3 at the Cesar Chavez branch—surrounded by yellow caution tape printed with “Libraries in Danger”—to draw attention to the libraries’ plight. Some 300 people attended the event, which featured Chicago Hope actor Hector Elizondo and other popular writers, musicians, and poets. “The last thing we need is to have libraries closed,” Elizondo told the crowd. “They’re putting a tourniquet on the mind.” The Read-in raised money for the Rally Salinas fund, launched in February by Mayor Anna Caballero. On April 6, the fund reached its $500,000 goal, allowing the city to keep the branches open through the end of the year, according to the Californian. Rally Salinas reached its fundraising goal two months ahead of its 120-day deadline. Caballero said the fund will continue to collect money because there are still businesses and organizations that want to contribute. If enough money is raised, she noted, the libraries may be able to maintain more hours and keep more employees. Posted April 8, 2005. |
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