Saratoga News
News
New chapter begins for the Saratoga Library
By Shannon Burkey
It was a sad day for library lovers two years when ago the Saratoga Library had to close its doors on Mondays due to state budget cuts. But happy times are here again, and the library will once again be open seven days a week.
"We feel really great about this. It really hurts us not to open our doors each and every day," said community librarian Dolly Barnes. "We are very committed to providing excellent library service, and we can't do it unless we are here every day."
With $326,000 from the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries, the library will now be able to continue to provide service to the community every day.
Through its used book store, the Book-Go-Round, membership fees and a few other smaller fundraising endeavors, the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries earn around $100,000 a year. That money is used to buy books and computers for the library and to help fund some of the 323 different programs offered at the library.
In 2001, the library began a 31,000-square-foot expansion of its facilities that lasted for two years. During that time, the Friends group was not able to contribute in its usual way because of the construction. So the money it earned for two years sat untouched, according to Sue Barrera, president of the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries board.
"During those two years, the money was put aside," Barrera said. "When the library reopened three years ago, it became clear there was an excess of funds."
With the extra money in hand, Barrera said she and the other nine members of the board unanimously agreed there was only one thing the money should be spent on.
"We all felt that the greatest gift we could give to the community would be to reopen the library on Mondays," Barrera said.
Two years ago, when the library had to close its doors on Mondays, Barnes said the hardest hit were the couple of hundred children from the three surrounding schools who come to the library each day to study and use the library's resources to complete their homework assignments. Redwood Middle School, Sacred Heart and St. Andrews are all nearby.
"Being closed on Monday is a real hardship on the students, especially if they have assignments due the next day," Barnes said, adding she would often encounter students at the library on Mondays wanting to get in.
"It is just a shame not to be able to provide service when the students are asking for it," she said. "The students were one of the driving forces for us wanting to reopen on Mondays."
The money is not enough to keep the library open seven days a week forever, but it will keep the doors open on Mondays for at least the next two years, according to Barrera. It is the hope of Barrera and Barnes that eventually some kind of public funding will be available to keep the library open the extra day.
"We believe that funding for these basic services should come from government means," Barrera said. "We are able to do this for two years, but maybe we will be able to extend it longer through a partnership."
Barnes agrees and said she hopes the state will see it is doing it on its own for a period of time and step up and help out.
The Friends of the Saratoga Libraries board voted in August to open Mondays. The new hours will go into effect Jan. 8.
"We are so excited about this. It is all just good news," Barrera said. "This is so important for both the library and the community. The community will benefit by having this greater access."
