New Library Hours In Effect; Century Cut Two Days
October 3, 2012
New, reduced hours are now in effect for the libraries in Escambia County, including fewer days of operation in Century.
The Century Branch Library is now closed on Wednesdays and Fridays, in additional to the normal Monday closure. Library employees and hours will be split between Century and the Molino Branch Library when it opens later this month. Century and Molino are the only libraries in the system to be closed on days other than Sunday.
Library officials said the new library hours were a result of budget constraints.
New West Florida Library hours by location are now:
MAIN LIBRARY — 200 W. Gregory Street
- Sunday 12pm – 4pm
- Monday 10am – 6pm
- Tuesday 10am – 6pm
- Wednesday 10am – 6pm
- Thursday 10am – 8pm
- Friday 10am – 4pm
- Saturday 10am – 4pm
TRYON BRANCH LIBRARY -- 1200 Langley Avenue
- Sunday CLOSED
- Monday 10am – 6pm
- Tuesday 10am – 6pm
- Wednesday 12pm – 8pm
- Thursday 10am – 6pm
- Friday 10am – 4pm
- Saturday 10am – 4pm
SOUTHWEST BRANCH LIBRARY – 12248 Gulf Beach Highway
- Sunday CLOSED
- Monday 12pm – 8pm
- Tuesday 10am – 6pm
- Wednesday 10am – 6pm
- Thursday 10am – 6pm
- Friday 10am – 4pm
- Saturday 10am – 2pm
WESTSIDE BRANCH LIBRARY — 1580 W. Cervantes Street
- Sunday CLOSED
- Monday 10am – 6pm
- Tuesday 12pm – 8pm
- Wednesday 10am – 6pm
- Thursday 12pm – 8pm
- Friday 10am – 4pm
- Saturday 10am – 4pm
CENTURY BRANCH LIBRARY – 7991 N. Century Boulevard
- Sunday CLOSED
- Monday CLOSED
- Tuesday 9am – 5pm
- Wednesday CLOSED
- Thursday 12pm – 8pm
- Friday CLOSED
- Saturday 9am – 5pm
MOLINO BRANCH LIBRARY — 6450 Highway 95A
- (Opening Fall 2012)
- Sunday CLOSED
- Monday 10am – 6pm
- Tuesday CLOSED
- Wednesday 10am – 6pm
- Thursday CLOSED
- Friday 10am – 6pm
- Saturday CLOSED
WFPL BOOKMOBILE
- New Schedule: TBA
Comments
11 Responses to “New Library Hours In Effect; Century Cut Two Days”
I have three children and I have been bringing the two older ones to the Century library since they were in Pre-K…My eighteen month old has visited the library with me since he was born! I feel like being active at the library has fostered a love of reading in my children….Plus the ladies there are wonderful! I just cannot believe they have to put up with lowered hours, already not enough funding, etc. Are we in the northend not worth having the same services they have in the “big city”? We already had to rally up to keep the library open…What will we have to do next time?
These people in charge need to be replaced by people who understand that living in town you can go 2 miles either way and bump into a library. We need to get together like the tea party people and protest at their office until we get some notice. I know there are a lot of out of work people up in the north end that have the available time so get together and get our library open more hours so outr children can have access and don’t become uneducated and unemployed
The thing that really bothers me is the fact no one making these decisions knows what it is like to live where we live. They do not understand the lack of services we receive because to them no one in their right mind would live “out in the boonies”. Even though you and I know that there are people all around us and it is no longer really “country”. They assume we will sit back and constantly take the garbage they deal out to us. I hope we have given them a little taste of how we think that enough is enough and we are tired of being looked down on and having services given then taken away. We in the county are not second hand citizens and will not stand back to be trampled in the dust any longer. We have loud voices and know how to use them.
RE: S. L. B.
That answer is not from a commissioner and is an insult to those in the county. The county did not ‘decide’ to reduce the hours in the county libraries. That is done by the library administration – certainly not the county. Pure propaganda.
The county is the ones who have tried to get these libraries out of the city some. The county hours are drastically cut. The north end has very small staff compared to the Downtown and Tryon staff. They could have moved a couple of employees north and put the hours back up here. They decide that – not the commissioners.
Yes, the 73% amount is paid from the county coffers but why do we have to drive into the city to get our part? It cost me 2 gallons of gas every time I go to Pensacola and they want the county (us) to pay more. That is not fair. Those commissioners have fought to get the library to come to Molino. We in Molino appreciate all of them who voted for it and they all did!
I e-mailed my thoughts and complaint on the subject last week to all the e-mail addresses that William provided us with and out of all sent out, this is the only reply I received back. It appears that the Library Mgmt. is using the population numbers card against the northend. This is what it said:
“I share your frustration with the reduction in hours at the libraries. I wanted to share some information with you, though. The funding for the libraries is from both the county and the city based on the usage ratios by the different populations (though city residents aren’t also counted as county residents, which they also are). Every year that I have been on council the council has tentatively approved a budget for the libraries. Then the county decides to reduce the library budget, and the city has had to go along. In a recent budget cycle, the city actually held the amount we had agreed to spend initially for books in reserves and then paid that to the library system at the end of the year, thereby exceeding what we are required to pay into the library by the interlocal agreement. My best guess for why the county commission was willing to cut hours so drastically at county libraries is in an attempt to reduce the number of county residents using the libraries, which would reduce the percent of the library budget that the county must pay.
I encourage you to continue advocating for the libraries. If the county will agree to increase their funding for the library, I am certain the city would follow suit, funding it to the amount we had initially budgeted.”
I hope people know that this is what “Consilidated Government” would be like – those in control treat us like we do not matter. NEVER let the southend rule the northend.
The Century Library is vital to those children and many adults.
THE CLOSING OF THIS LIBRARY WILL HURT SO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR TOWN, CHILDERN LOVE TO GO TO THE LIBRARY AFTER SCHOOL , AND WE HAVE MANY HOMESCHOOL CHILDERN, THAT USE THE LIBRARY FOR SCHOOL AND OTHER THINGS. THIS MAY BE A SMALL TOWN , BUT THIS IS A POSTIVE PLACE FOR KIDS TO GO AND I MYSELF USE THE LIBRARY EVERYDAY. I MUST SAY THE EMPLOYEES THERE ARE THE BEST, THEY DO SO MUCH FOR THE CHILDERN AND THERE VERY CREATIVE IN SO MANY WAYS THEY LOVE OUR CHILDERN AND THERE JOBS, I REALLY HOPE THIS GETS FIXED SOON . WE NEED OUR LIBRARY BACK.
Well, the north end is being sucker punched again. The most needy of the library services are being punished for it. Why don’t they cut days from the others branches… Have ALL the branches closed on Monday then they could keep ours open regular hours. It only makes sense to me but who am I but a lowly TAXPAYER.
Just goes to show you what they think of people at the Northend of the county. It’s sad, but it’s been happening for years!
It was already hard enough to get the kids to the library for school reports by 5 after the bus drops them off…now we have to figure out how to get them to Molino or tell them they can’t research their homework? Brilliant plan.
(And don’t tell me to make them rely on our internet…we’re on Frontier.)
Would have loved for the Molino Library to be open on Saturdays.