Greetings, Team Library!

We’re in the “dog days of summer” with the heat! The phrase is a reference to Sirius, the Dog Star. During the “Dog Days” period, the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth. Sirius is part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog. During summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the tilt of the Earth causes the Sun’s rays to hit at a more direct angle and for a longer period throughout the day. Unfortunately, this means longer, hotter days.

So, let’s take a deep breath and find ways to “beat the heat”! Do you like to swim? Boat? Picnic? Make a list of things you want to do in the summer that just isn’t possible or as much fun to do in the winter and take advantage of the dog days of summer to do your favorite things. Of course, you can always find some shade to read a new book! 

Library Admin is still going through the FY2024 budget process. Our new staffing requests have been approved by BCC and are included in the current recommended budget proposal. You can find a copy of our current department request here: Library Services | Fiscal Year 2024 Recommended Budget (cleargov.com). With the additional staffing, our libraries can spend more time in the community, doing public programming and participating in community outreach events. After more than a decade of “compressed” service hours, SJCPLS will be able to restore Sunday afternoon hours and offer Monday hours at Hastings and Anastasia Island to the public. This is an additional 35 public service hours/week for our residents, and I’m thrilled this opportunity is on the horizon. The public hearings on the recommended budget and proposed millage rates are scheduled for 5:01 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 5 and 19, at 5 in the County Auditorium. Once adopted, the FY24 budget will go into effect on Oct. 1, 2023. 

I’m delighted to announce that our new Business Manager will be “on board” in Library Admin on Monday, Aug. 28. Mary Ann Yaw Sosa comes to us from Martin County, FL, where she has been employed in increasingly responsible positions across multiple county departments since 2017. Part of Mary Ann’s initiation into our department will include site visits to the branch libraries, so you will all have a chance to meet her. 

Thanks for all you do on behalf of SJCPLS and your local patrons. Stay cool, grab a book and a cup of something chilled, and enjoy the dog days of summer!