San Benito County’s library is now open to the public seven days a week.
The San Benito County Free Library on Fifth Street in downtown Hollister started offering Sunday hours for the first time to start the New Year.
The library is open 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. That’s to go with hours on every other day of the week.
“We did a survey because we wanted to see what the people were thinking,” said Head Librarian Nora Conte.
That led to the library convincing the county to hire two additional staff members, a full-time library assistant and a part-time teen librarian, she said.
Conte said the library has been busy Sundays so far.
“People are coming,” Conte said. “They came with their raincoats and hats and umbrellas.”
She went on: “It’s important because people need their library. They come in and access information and connect with friends and family members.”
Conte said students up to college age use the services.
Conte said the library received approval for the roles in October, but it took some time to recruit the right people.
She also raved that seven days a week is a rarity for libraries.
Even the Gilroy library, albeit much more expansive than the San Benito library, is closed Sundays.
San Benito County Free Library Hours:
Sunday: 1 pm – 5 pm
Monday: 10 am – 6 pm
Tuesday: 12 pm – 8 pm
Wednesday: 10 am – 6 pm
Thursday: 12 pm – 8 pm
Friday: 10 am – 6 pm
Saturday: 12 pm – 6pm
