Posted January 20, 2006.

Salinas Library Hours to Double

The Salinas, California, city council approved a plan January 17 that will increase hours at the city’s three libraries by this spring. The plan will use $250,000 in money from the Rally Salinas campaign to expand weekly library hours from 33 to 69, the Salinas Californian reported January 18. City voters had passed a referendum in November 2005 that would allow the libraries to stay open full-time, after one turbulent year that saw the facilities alternately threatened with closure and revitalized by a fundraising campaign.

Deputy City Manager Jorge Rifá told the Californian that the libraries are still 12–14 months away from becoming full-service, even with the Rally Salinas money and the referendum allocation, which won’t kick in until July. Although five new positions will be filled between March and June, city staff said it will take time to recruit personnel to bring the libraries back up to their former service level of 96 hours per week.

Meanwhile, the city has applied for a $100,000 grant from the Annenberg Foundation to provide at least 20 laptop computers to be used by tutors and students in the library’s literacy program. Literacy Services Manager Maria Roddy said she hoped to have wireless technology available in the libraries by July. “In today’s world, computer skills are part of your literacy skills,” she added.

Posted January 20, 2006.