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Submitted On: Apr 14, 2025, 06:20PM PDT City Council Regular Meeting - Submit your written public comment City of Pleasanton Full Name First Name: Susan Last Name: Dickinson Email (this entry is disclosable if included)susan.dickinson@sbcglobal.net Meeting Type Regular Meeting April 15 at 7 p.m. Agenda Item Number 15 Comments Dear Mayor and Council Members- I am writing to encourage you to continue looking for options to keep the Pleasanton Library open on its current schedule (7 days per week/62 hours per week) and maintain its current collection budget. I hope the City Council and the Director of Finance can work a little additional magic to make this possible. The Pleasanton Library is by far the most visited public building in Pleasanton. In the first quarter of this year (January 1, 2025 – March 31, 2025) almost 77,000 people walked through the Library doors. To date in this fiscal year (July 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025) just under 236,000 individuals have visited the Library. These are numbers that should not be ignored by Council. They represent people from all walks of life, all ages, races, cultures and economic levels. This building mirrors Pleasanton’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Reducing the number of days and the hours open per day limits access to this facility and its important services, with the most vulnerable populations being the most severely impacted. Currently, the Library is busy and active from opening until closing, 7 days a week, 62 hours a week. Additionally, what has been barely even discussed up to this point is the reduction by 50% of the collection budget. This limits the Library’s ability to purchase the wide array of materials required for a diverse and accessible collection. The Library’s collection of print materials ranges from new books and bestsellers, to special collections of large print, international language materials, and adult basic education (ABE) materials for English Language Learners. The digital collection consists of e-books, e-audiobooks, and streaming video materials. Those individuals who are not able to regularly visit the Library, or who prefer to listen to their books, rely on the digital collection. Additionally, books, both physical and digital don’t last forever. Well-loved books must be replaced as book spines crack and pages become torn or missing. Digital books time-out and become unavailable. While the 50% reduction in the collection will not happen in an instant, it will quickly lead to reduced books on the shelves and