To: Board of Supervisors
From: Libraries
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
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New Open Hours and Extended Open Hours for the Ferndale, Garberville and Trinidad Libraries
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve the libraries expanded service hours and new open hours schedule.
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Library (1500621)
DISCUSSION:
The library strives to serve the public with expanded open hours to meet the needs of increasingly diverse and growing communities of library users throughout the county. Library Strategic Plan data identified more library open hours as the top priority for our public. The library has an opportunity to help meet this need by providing additional hours at its Ferndale, Garberville and Trinidad branch locations.
In Ferndale, Library pre-COVID hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays were 12 - 5 p.m. and 7 - 9 p.m. The Library proposes “closing the gap” and adding additional hours from 5 - 7 p.m. on those evenings. Creating uninterrupted service on Tuesday and Thursday from 12 - 9 p.m. will accommodate the needs of working families and students and will also provide the library with a greater capacity to offer evening programs and events.
The Ferndale Library has traditionally been open 12 - 4 p.m. on Fridays. To better serve the Ferndale library community, the Library would like to add an hour at the end of that day, remaining open until 5 p.m.
The Garberville library will add Tuesday as an additional service day for southern Humboldt residents. Tuesday open hours will be from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The Trinidad Library will be open Tuesdays from 12 - 5 p.m., instead of 12 - 3:30 p.m. On Thursdays, the Library will again “close the gap,” and be open continuously from 12 - 7 p.m., eliminating the 1 - 2 p.m. closure.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Your Board approved additional positions for the Ferndale and Garberville existing of Senior Library Assistant positions in the fiscal year (FY) 2022-23 adopted budget. The library increased the Garberville position from .80 to 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) and the Ferndale position from .56 to 1.0 FTE. These increases will enable the Ferndale and Garberville libraries to add additional service hours.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by providing community-appropriate levels of service
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
City of Ferndale, City of Trinidad, The Friends of the Trinidad Library, and Trinidad Coastal Land Trust
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board could decide to maintain the library’s pre-COVID schedule of open hours and deploy Garberville and Ferndale Senior Library Assistants in other Library locations to meet their FTE allocations.
ATTACHMENTS:
Proposed schedule of Open Hours and Current Schedule of Open Hours
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A
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Recommendation
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