RCLS Will Keep Open Hours

The Riverside County Library System will not reduce any hours of operation for the 2010-11 fiscal year. Even though the overall budget of the Riverside County Library will decrease by about 10%--as are most County departments—hours and levels of service will remain unchanged this year. 
 
(In fact, when the new Highgrove Library opens in 2011, the hours will be expanded by 10 hours per week.)
 
These budget details are part of an agreement between the Riverside County Economic Development Agency, which oversees the County Library System, and Library Systems and Services (LSSI), the library management company that has run the county library since 1997. 
 
Both the County and LSSI agreed that it was highly important to leave hours unchanged. The public is using libraries at unprecedented rates. The number of items checked out of Riverside County libraries increased by 6% in 2010-11 and the number of people attending programs has increased by over 16%. Crowds of over 100 persons are common at Riverside County Library programs, and our computers are constantly in use, often by people looking for jobs or learning new skills. This year, record numbers of children attended the summer reading program in all locations across the county. We all feel that this would be a very bad time to cut library services. So, rather than take the cuts out of hours open or other services, we will find other operational ways to trim costs in ways that are less visible.
 
So enjoy your library. Please take advantage of this wonderful resource. We look forward to seeing all of you in the library.