San Diego plans to partially restore library cuts, most branches won’t re-open ‘til fall

San Diego officials unveiled plans Thursday to partially reverse a proposal to slash library hours 23 percent, but they said staffing challenges will keep most branches closed through the summer and will delay plans to restore Sunday hours.

The new plan would provide 46 hours of service per week at city library branches. That’s down from the pre-pandemic 55 hours per week, but up from the 42.5 hours Mayor Todd Gloria included in his proposed city budget last month.

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Each branch would be open 8.5 hours every Monday through Thursday, and six hours every Friday and Saturday.

Even with the restoration, library hours would be slashed 16 percent.

Gloria and head librarian Misty Jones said they are committed to a full restoration of library hours within a year. But Jones told the City Council Thursday that she can’t move any quicker because she must fill 167 vacant jobs.

Gloria and Jones also want to convert many of the library system’s part-time “hourly” jobs into either half-time or full-time positions with benefits, a complicated process that involves meeting with labor union officials.

Keeping the bulk of the library’s positions hourly has led to high staff turnover and significant re-training costs, officials said.

The staffing hurdles will delay until this fall re-opening of 24 city library branches that remain closed except for book returns and pick-ups. The city re-opened its other 12 branches last October.

“Given the time involved with converting these positions and hiring staff, systemwide re-opening is not expected to be achievable in any restoration scenario at least until the fall,” said Baku Patel, who works for the city’s Independent Budget Analyst.

Jones said she plans to re-open branches and restore Sunday hours slowly as the staffing challenges get solved. She said branches in low-income areas would be prioritized for Sunday service.

“It’s going to take us a little while to ramp up because we have to do the hiring,” she told council members Thursday.

Jones said community rooms in some library branches would serve as “cool zones” this summer even if those branches remain closed for other in-person services.

Gloria said he hopes to reveal more details about the city’s plans soon.

“It is my intent to get back to a seven-day-a-week schedule across our library system over the next year,” he said. “Staff is still working through the details, but more information will be released later this month.”

The continued closure of 24 city branches is frustrating to many residents and families.

Katie Dunn of Scripps Ranch said this summer would be a key time for families to use the library, especially when many children have been out of a classroom for more than a year.

“Summer will be a key time to try to make up for that learning loss,” she said. “Many families in our underserved communities count on the library being open.”

Councilwoman Vivian Moreno said the library’s staffing issues, which first came to light during a 2017 audit, should have been solved long ago.

“I understand that staffing is an issue, but I think we can do better,” she said, noting that San Diego recently was awarded $306 million in federal pandemic aid. “It’s a devastating impact to have even one day removed.”

Jones said it’s not clear how the restoration plan unveiled Thursday will affect the library’s budget. Gloria’s initial proposal would have saved $5.6 million overall, shrinking the library’s annual budget from $59.7 million to $54.1 million.

The reduction in hours would have saved $6.9 million, but Gloria was also proposing $1.3 million in new spending to boost library budgets for activities and materials, including electronic books.

He also included money to make online programs available during closed hours and to grant special off-hours access to three branches in low-income areas.

Jay Goldstone, the city’s interim chief operating officer, said the restoration proposal would cost between $3 million and $3.5 million. He said the money would come from revenue projections for the new fiscal year that city officials have revised upward in recent weeks.