Dear Members of the Community,
It gives me GREAT pleasure to announce that Monterey Public Library will be opening its doors in July. While we haven’t set the final date, we are working with the Board of Library Trustees to put the finishing touches on a plan to reopen in the new fiscal year.
While health restrictions are being lifted in the County and State, our local economy still has a long road to recovery. City revenues--and the City’s ability to fund library services--rely heavily on the success of our hospitality industry. Fortunately, we are seeing tourism begin to return to our region, but it will take time for our economy to recover fully.
Staff and the Board of Library Trustees are proposing a two-year budget that takes these challenges into account. The plan gradually phases in core library services over time, in line with the new fiscal realities. The proposal has been endorsed by the City Manager, who will take the request to the City Council for approval in June as part of the City’s proposed biennial budget. The Board of Trustees, the City Manager, and I thank you for your patience and your support over these past 16 months. With support from the City, from the MPL Friends & Foundation, and from generous library supporters we will be welcoming you back into your library at long last. We will put the Bookmobile back on the road to deliver services to our most vulnerable community members, and inspire kids to learn for fun with our virtual Summer Reading Program.
Next month the MPL Friends & Foundation will undertake their membership drive and renewal campaign. If you are not a member yet, please consider joining. Your membership support is part of the Monterey Learns! Campaign, which runs through February 2022. It has helped us add new books to the collection when there were no funds to do so, and offer dozens of innovative programs--for kids and adults--to many hundreds of participants. We have been humbled and gratified by your response. The Library’s needs have never been greater nor more urgent. If you have any questions about the Campaign, or wish to make a gift, please visit investinmpl.org/ways-to-give or get in touch with Mary Jane Perna in our Fund Development Office at perna@monterey.org or (831) 646-5632.
I invite your feedback as we work towards safely re-opening your library. We are eager to welcome you back in July!
Sincerely,
Inga Waite
Library & Museums Director
waite@monterey.org
(831) 646-5602