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We’re incredibly grateful to all the library advocates who showed up and spoke passionately at City Council about the importance of keeping our libraries accessible to everyone this spring.

Because of the vocal resistance against closing the Library for two days, budget dollars were returned to the Library to allow Monday operating hours at 17 locations. Monday closures at the remaining branches take effect on September 15. This shift in opening hours also brings changes to staffing at all 37 Library locations. Please look for new faces at your Library and welcome these outstanding library professionals as they get to know communities that may be new to them. Read more about how this affects your local branch.

We know that reduced hours impact a community’s access to the resources, programs, and safe spaces – a few of the elements that make libraries so essential.

Looking ahead, the Library Foundation SD is listening and watching for any discussion of mid-year adjustments to the City’s general fund. We want to ensure that the Monday library hours remain protected. Ultimately, Library Foundation SD is advocating for a full-time Library department for San Diegans – what we’re calling ³⁷⁄₇ – when all 37 Library locations are open to the public seven days a week.

Become a library advocate TODAY by signing up for our advocacy alerts OR showing up for our Libraries by clicking below.

Over the last twenty years, the San Diego Public Library has lost over $640M in City funding during the budgeting process.

In March 2025, Executive Order 14238 cut federal funds to public libraries across the U.S., including the San Diego Public Library. These funds support various programs for San Diegans, including youth training and career development, adult literacy programs, and entrepreneur and workforce development programs.

Additionally, the San Diego Public Library’s per-capita operating budget is less than 70 percent of the California state average, and well behind many of its urban library peers with a books, materials, and e‑resources budget of more than $7.4 million (in FY2025), San Diego County spends 3.5 times more on their library’s resources than the City of San Diego, SDPL’s security spending is larger than its materials budget, and the City’s Public Library Department has over $50 million in deferred maintenance issues and no maintenance budget to address them.