Santa Rosa Reconsiders Saturday Closing

Libraries may heed calls for more hours Santa Rosa considers opening on Saturdays
July 16, 2008
Pensacola News Journal
Louis Cooper lcooper@pnj.com

In Santa Rosa County, if you want to check out a book or use a library computer, you can only do it on a weekday.

For nearly a year, Santa Rosa's five libraries have been open Monday through Friday to save money.

However, some county commissioners say they've heard from constituents who want the libraries to open Saturdays.

"I've heard from a considerable number of people who went to the libraries on Saturday to use the computers for research but didn't check out books," said Commissioner Tom Stewart. "In this age, when we're trying to decide how to provide services with reduced budgets, everything is open to suggestion."
Library director Linda Hendrix said she will be meeting with her superiors this week to discuss possible changes.

"We're going to be looking at all the possibilities," she said. "You could do the schedule in 20 different ways, but we know when the most people come to the libraries."

Hendrix said closing on Saturdays came after four library positions were cut. Currently, four employees work at the Gulf Breeze, Navarre, Milton and Pace libraries each, and two work at the Jay Library. Some work also is done by student employees and volunteers.

"The bottom line is when you're running the libraries with very few staff, we have to look at the schedules we can maintain," she said.

Nearly 90 percent of library business takes place Monday through Thursday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. She said Saturday was the most logical place to cut hours.

"The people who work in the libraries know the people who come in on Saturdays, and for a large part, the people who come on Saturdays come every other day of the week as well," Hendrix said. "There is a great belief among the people who run the libraries that cutting the Saturday hours did not diminish services to most people."

Gulf Breeze resident Pat Rose, who retired after 28 years as the librarian at the Gulf Breeze Library in 2002, said the library was usually open on Saturday when she worked there. Sometimes, however, lean budgets closed the facility on Monday.

She believes the lack of Saturday hours, along with the earlier 7 p.m. closing during the week, has kept some people from using the library as much.
"Some people don't get home from work until 7 o'clock," Rose said. "Families where both parents worked would bring their children on Saturdays."
Rose suggested splitting the difference between Friday — which is the second slowest day of the week for Santa Rosa libraries — and Saturday, opening half a day for each.

Kathy Ocobock, who has used the Gulf Breeze Library since she moved to the area in 1989, works weekdays. She said her library use has plummeted since the Saturday hours were cut.

"The only time I have to go to the library is on my lunch break, and that's just to pick up a book or something," Ocobock said. "I can't spend any time there because of the hours."

Santa Rosa libraries left the West Florida Regional Library System in 2006, creating the countywide system. Since then, library usage has skyrocketed, Hendrix said.

Santa Rosa's five libraries are open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. Before Oct. 1, they were open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.