Make Your Voice Heard– San Diegans Deserve A Full-Time Library Available 37⁄7!
Each year, the San Diego Public Library is visited nearly 7 MILLION times, making the Library department one of the most widely used services in the City.
San Diegans deserve and have called for a full-time Library department. This year, thanks to thousands of voices in our community, crucial budget adjustments were secured, restoring some Library hours and services. This restoration exemplifies the power of collective advocacy and demonstrates what we can achieve when the community rallies behind the Library department.
Being open every day of the week ensures that libraries remain important community spaces that close educational gaps, support digital equity, and promote workforce readiness. Each day a branch is closed, students, job seekers, families, and neighbors who depend on their public library miss valuable opportunities.
Library Foundation SD will continue to defend and advocate 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 taking action below.
Did You Know?
The San Diego Public Library system is no stranger to funding challenges, having experienced more than $640 million in funding losses over the past 20 years for the more than 6 million patrons* who visit its 37 locations each year. The San Diego Public Library’s budget has lagged behind those of comparable library systems for years. Despite a Library Ordinance approved by the City Council in 2000, which set a goal of allocating 6% of the City’s general fund to the Library department, the Library has never received that level of funding.
The City’s 37 Library locations cannot deliver the services, programs, and resources San Diegans rely on when they are treated as an afterthought. The San Diego Public Library is a core City service and deserves sustained investment to meet the growing needs of neighborhoods across San Diego.
City leaders must hear our voices loud and clear: defend our Libraries!
Check out San Diego Public Library usage by Council District:
*This patron visit average was calculated when the Library was open seven days a week.