This photo of Gridley’s present-day library was featured in The Gridley Herald on March 4, 1983. Photo courtesy of Gridley Friends of the Library

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – A resolution was made to expand library hours throughout the county, effective April 1, during the March 25 Butte County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Currently, the library is open three days a week.

With the new resolution’s passage, the library will be open five days a week, which includes Thursday nights and Saturdays. Along with the extra hours, more staff members were hired. The resolution includes funding for the new employees.

Gridley Friends of the Library treasurer Cathie Slota expressed appreciation to the board at the March 25 meeting. 

“We haven’t had Saturdays for a few years,” Slota told the Gridley Herald. “It’s great to see things being added instead of taken away. Gridley Friends of the Library raises money for items not covered in the budget.” 

Here is Gridley’s first library, The Carnegie Free Public Library, built in 1916. Photo courtesy of Gridley Friends of the Library

The new hours for the library located at 299 Spruce St. will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, noon to 8 p.m. Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Library director Misty Wright indicated that the Board of Supervisors made the decision to add the additional 16.5 staff positions immediately after the Nov. 5, 2024 General Election.

“Since then, we have been hiring and training the new employees,” Wright said. “Even before COVID, we were on reduced hours and bare-bones staffing. Now we can even offer evening hours.”            

Measure H, the 1% sales tax initiative passed last November, made all this possible. The tax is collected from businesses throughout the county to fund public safety services, such as the county library system, firefighters, sheriff’s deputies, prosecutors and probation officers. Butte County Measure H was passed by 67% of voters. 

A continuing library program is “Ladies Night Out” movie night, held the third Friday of every month, and men and teens are welcome to join. Newly-released films, classics and older movies are in rotation for the showings. Refreshments are served and admission is free. For more information about movie night, visit the Butte County Library’s Instagram page @buttecolibrary.