All 73 city libraries will restore operation on Monday and Wednesday evenings and Friday mornings starting Monday, Oct. 15.
This marks the second phase in a series of four restorations of library services over four years. Measure L, a ballot initiative passed by voters last March, is providing the funds to restore library services.
The operating hours at the city’s 73 libraries were slashed to their lowest level in the library’s 140-year history in August 2010, following cuts to the city budget. Voter approved Measure L gradually restores library service hours to the 2009 level over four years by increasing the Library’s share of city funding without new taxes. Last year, in the first phase of Measure L, all libraries re-opened on Mondays. In 2014, the final phase of Measure L, nine libraries will re-open on Sundays.
“Libraries are vital neighborhood resources,” Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. “It pained me greatly to make the decision to reduce library hours in 2010. Restoration gets the city back on track and one step closer to fully restoring our city’s library hours. None of this would have been possible without voter support of Measure L. Thanks to the commitment of Angelenos willing to invest in one of the most important and beloved institutions in the city, I am proud to say that the future of Los Angeles looks bright.”
New library hours starting October 15 are:
Central Library
Monday – Thursday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Sunday & holidays closed
Branch Libraries
Monday & Wednesday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Tuesday & Thursday 12:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Sunday & holidays closed
Locally there are four libraries affected by the changes:
2011 W. Sunset Blvd. LA CA 90026
1874 Hillhurst Ave. LA CA 90027
“Restoring weekday hours restores library access for people searching for jobs, taking computer classes, learning to read at our literacy centers and much more,” said City Librarian John F. Szabo. “Having libraries open during the evening is especially beneficial to children and students because we provide a safe, adult-supervised place with after-school programs, homework help, college prep workshops and free computer access—in short—all the resources children need to succeed in school and in life.”
The Los Angeles Public Library serves the largest and most diverse population of any library in the nation. Its Central Library and 72 branch libraries, more than six million books, and state-of-the-art technology accessible at www.lapl.org, provide everyone with free and easy access to information and the opportunity for life-long learning.
-- A version of this report originally appeared on EmpowerLA.org
