The SLO County Public Library’s Oceano branch recently moved and now has new hours.
Senior library associate Nancy Sierra said that starting on Jan. 2, the library will be open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday until 5 p.m. and closed Monday and Friday.
The branch moved to a new stand-alone location to make it easier for community members to access, Sierra said.
“We were located previously on the grounds of Ashton Elementary School, where it was less accessible to the public if they were to pass by and wanted to stop in,” she said. “Oftentimes, the public got confused thinking that we were only a school library rather than the public library.”
Sierra said the new building has some upgraded facilities that the old building lacked, and she’s excited for the public to check it out.
“The last building had some maintenance issues, but this new building is more up to date and bigger,” she said. “We have a parking lot, which is nice because our previous location didn’t. … We also have bigger shelves and larger, family-sized restrooms.”
Now located at 1511 19th St. in Oceano, the building is across the street from Ashton and the Oceano Community Center, Sierra said.
Along with new computers and other internet stations the public can use, the library holds community events that are free to attend, she said.
“We offer a bilingual storytime on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. for all ages, and we just started a Lego club, which is new and fun,” Sierra said. “We also have a weekly program where kids can come in and practice reading with a certified therapy dog.”
Other services that community members can receive at the library are accessing a free library card that works at the library in SLO County, Sierra said.
“If you don’t want to fill out the library application form online, residents are free to come into the branch and get a library card from me,” she said. “All we need is an ID which shows their current address.”
Sierra said only local residents are able to receive a library card, and those with an out of county ID or who’ve recently moved to the area, residents can use proof of their new residence by showing a recent package that was delivered to their new home.
“I want community residents to keep in mind that I’m the only staff member at this location so sometimes waits might be a bit slow,” she said. “However, I’m bilingual and I think that’s especially helpful to make sure everyone feels welcomed in this community.” Δ
This article appears in Dec 7-17, 2023.
