Rohnert Park Reacts to Reduction in Library Hours

Just as kids begin to itch with boredom as summer sets in and temperatures soar, libraries throughout Sonoma County are getting ready to reduce their hours, part of a long-anticipated move to deal with dwindling revenue.

Sonoma County LibraryCommissioners voted Monday to reduce library hours from 52 to 40 a week — a change that goes into effect August 1. That means all 13 branches around the county will be closed Monday and two hours earlier Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Since 2009, the Sonoma County Library system has lost over $1.5 million in revenue and commissioners estimate that state funding cuts and reduced property taxes will slash over $600,000 from the 2012 budget. 

No positions will be cut and children’s morning programs, popular with families, will be preserved, said Doug Cisney, branch manager at Petaluma Regional Library. 

But Nancy Kleban, the branch manager of the , wasn't as sure.

"With hours condensed and no expansion of staff, it may turn out that we'll have to cut some of our programs," Kleban wrote in an email Tuesday night. "Our children's storytimes will continue, although on different mornings."

"It's hard to predict how the new schedule and the reduction in extra help will play out," she added.

Library managers said the cuts mean libraries throughout the county will get more crowded as the same number of people visit in less hours. In fact, over the past couple of years, library usage has swelled, according to library managers.

And, according the Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library's Master Plan, the population served locally is expected to swell to an estimated 73,463 by 2025, from 54,654 today. Demographic information released by the county library system also indicates the library is most used by people between the ages of 20 to 44. Following closely behind is the 45-64 age group, then ages 5-19.

“We’ve been getting busier each month because of the economy with people not buying books or those who don’t have DVDs or a computer with Internet at home,” Cisney said.

Kleban echoed Cisney's concerns.

"Being closed on Mondays will be a hardship particularly for the middle and high school students who come to the library regularly after school. It will also condense the availability of public Internet access computers into fewer hours," she said. "People who are only able to come to the library after 6 p.m. will have just one evening a week." 

"This impacts me a lot; I'm upset," said Rohnert Park high school student Javier Arriaga, 18. "This is my only resource for Internet. I use the library almost every day, and multiple times a day during the school year."

Zandria Michel, 56, walked in to the library on a recent day to check out a few books, and maybe rent a movie, she said.

"The library is a lifesaver," Michel said. "When people are short of funds, the library is here for us to provide education and entertainment."

"This is really sad for adults, but especially for kids," Michel added. "So many children depend on the library to learn. It has so many great reading and tutoring programs, and so many people depend on the library for Internet access — I'd hate to see all that go, it's such a huge benefit to the community."

Mercedes Jiminez, 39, returned a children's book on a recent day. She said she'd heard about the cuts. 

"I'm very sad," said Jiminez, who has three kids, 4, 6 and 8. "We rent books here all the time; sometimes we go through them in one night. I also feel really bad for the people who work here, they are also effected." 

Another change is that substitute librarians will be used much less frequently, meaning that staffers will have to work every weekend, an inconvenience for some. Cisney also said that branches were not given freedom to select a schedule that worked for them, but will have to comply with the same one, despite the different needs of their communities.

"You regret doing this because everybody needs the library," Cisney said. "But with the budget issues everyone is facing, there's no choice."

New library hours:

Monday: closed

Tuesday: 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Wednesday: 10 a.m.- 8 p.m.

Thursday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Friday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Sunday: closed