California: San Francisco Public Library Receives 8% Budget Increase

From the SFPL:

San Francisco Public Library users will enjoy expanded service hours, an enhanced book collection, capital funding for a new Teen Center, and significant digital investments thanks to the Library’s increased budget which was approved this week as part of the full city & county of San Francisco budget. 
SFPL’s operating budget for fiscal year 2013-14 is $100.4 million, an approximate 8 percent increase from the previous year. The San Francisco Public Library system includes the Main Library and 27 branches.
The robust and healthy budget will allow San Francisco Public Library to add a total of 36 hours per week at 18 branch libraries this fiscal year, including adding three more days of service at three neighborhood libraries: Glen Park, Noe Valley and Park branch libraries.
Additionally, three Main Library centers: the Deaf Services Center, the Library for the Blind and Print Disabled and the San Francisco History Center will also see their hours increase this year.
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“The budget is a testament to the outstanding support from San Franciscan’s and a healthy return on their investment in the library’s funding set-aside which was passed by the voters in 2007 as the Library Preservation Fund,” said City Librarian Luis Herrera. “I’m particularly pleased that the budget is paving the way for the future of our community, with strong investments in a new space for teens, financial support for revising and expanding library hours for the public, investments in digital technology and maintenance of our wonderful neighborhood libraries.”

See Also: Learn About the Weekly Yoga Class for the Visually Impaired Inside the San Francisco Public Library’s Main Branch (March 3, 2013)

Filed under: Funding, Libraries, News, Patrons and Users, Preservation, Public Libraries