Santa Barbara Public Library Expands Hours on Evenings and Weekends

Santa Barbara Public Library received additional funding for staffing from City Council during the FY24 budget process in order to restore open hours on evenings and weekends. After recruitment, hiring, and training, SBPL will we implementing these expanded hours beginning Sunday, October 8, 2023 at Central and Eastside Libraries.

“We know that the lack of Sunday, Monday, and evenings hours at Central Library was limiting access for many in the community,” said Library Director, Jessica Cadiente. “We’re thrilled to have the support of City Council to extend hours to make it more convenient for families, professionals, and those with less flexible schedules to visit the Library in order to access our collections and services or attend educational programs and events.”

New hours of operation:

Central Library

• Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Sunday 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Eastside Library

• Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Saturday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

In preparation for the expanded schedule, all Library locations will close at noon on Wednesday, October 4, to facilitate staff training.

The Library is also updating some circulation procedures. Beginning Saturday, October 7, physical items checked out are eligible for one automatic renewal if no one has reserved the item. After one automatic renewal, a patron may manually renew an item up to two additional times if no one else has reserved the item, by logging into their online account or by contacting library staff. After three renewals, items are due back to any SBPL location.

Now that Central Library will be open 7 days a week, the length of time physical items will remain in the hold shelf will be 7 days.

The Santa Barbara Public Library is a department of the City of Santa Barbara and is dedicated to supporting education for all ages through classes and events, building a community of readers, empowering individuals with free access to information, and connecting people to community resources. For information, visit www.sbplibrary.org.