San Fernando : Library Hours Move to 5 Days a Week

The San Fernando Library, which was the first free public library in the San Fernando Valley, has been so strapped for cash in recent years that it reduced operating hours to three days a week and stopped buying new materials.

But thanks to a county Board of Supervisors decision earlier this month to fund the library deficits, the San Fernando Library announced it will again be open five days a week, beginning Monday.

In addition, restoration of the library’s budget means that librarians can begin purchasing new materials again.

Library Manager Judith Babka has begun ordering new books, magazines, audiocassettes, compact discs and videos. The new materials, Babka said, will be selected to cover the needs and interests of a wide variety of local residents, in both English and Spanish languages.

To celebrate the good news, and the library’s 80th anniversary, a cultural diversity tea will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at the library, located at 1050 Library St. The San Fernando Middle School’s mariachi band will perform and a mix of ethnic dishes will be served.

New operating hours will be: Mondays-Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The library will remain closed on Saturday and Sunday. For further information, call the library at (818) 365-6928.