Cuts force LA public libraries to close Mondays

In a severe cost cutting move, Los Angeles elected officials closed all 73 libraries in the L.A. Public Library system today. The branches will close all future Mondays until further notice.

About 100 library supporters, current, and laid off library workers protested against the Monday closure in front of Central Library in downtown L.A.

“Now we’ve been reduced to five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday,” said Palisades branch librarian Henry Gambill, “which essentially means that when school starts we’re going to slam the doors in children’s faces and say, ‘Go somewhere else after school!’”

Gambill said city leaders cut Monday hours in spite of more than 30,000 signatures gathered by library supporters to minimize library budget cuts.

Keep up with LAist.

If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.

Subscribe

Monday’s an important library day for a lot of people according to Lorraine Morland. For two and a half years she’s volunteered to read to children on Mondays at Central Library.

“Every day is a special day but it seems like Mondays people feel like they’re off when they have young children, so it made it feel more like a family thing,” Morland said.

She and other library supporters said they’re hopeful that continued pressure on L.A. elected officials will return Mondays as library days in Los Angeles.