Library hours, days slated to be reinstated

Readers can rejoice - they could soon book it to their local library six days a week.
County commissioners are scheduled to meet Tuesday to consider using about $200,000 of surplus state aid to hire new part-time personnel to staff the four main branches and reinstate six-day-a-week operations, including one additional morning and evening.
That fund has about $3.4 million in unbudgeted grant money scattered among several library funds.
Commissioners were supposed to vote on this last July. But amidst the commotion caused by the departure of Library Services Director Barbara Shiflett and the subsequent budget process, the matter got lost in the shuffle.
"It happens when you have a change in the upper levels (of management)," said County Commissioner David Russell, who originally took the lead on the library issue. "We'll pick up the ball (now) and run with it."
Before voting, the board will discuss the particulars of the plan, first written by Shiflett.
As it stands now, the county would restore 12 hours of service to the main Brooksville library and the West Hernando branch and 14 hours to the Eastside and Spring Hill branches - totaling 52 hours a week for all four.
The hours would be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. four days a week and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. two days a week. It hasn't been determined which libraries would have which hours.
Months ago, the main library in Brooksville and the West Hernando branch off State Road 50 were forced to close Saturdays and East Hernando branch and the Spring Hill branch on Mondays because of the budget crunch.
Also, hours were reduced in all four branches.
"There are a lot of folks who are looking forward to (this) and it is unfortunate it had to happen in the first place," Russell said.
Commissioner Jeff Stabins said Friday he is on board with the plan.
"I'm open to supporting it if the money's there," Stabins said.
According to Russell, the money has already been budgeted for this fiscal year. It's just a matter of board authorization.
Russell said Shiflett originally called a meeting to come up with the plan to expand operations after reading in Hernando Today that the library had $3.4 million set aside in rolled-over state aid that could be used for that purpose.