By Julia Cooper

COURTESY OF CHERYL HOUTS Los Altos area residents sought refuge from the heat in the Los Altos main library, and got a little reading in, too. Community Librarian Cheryl Houts counted 1,828 people on July 22 and 1,867 on July 23. “Every chair was occupied, people were sitting on step stools and the floor here just to escape the heat,” she said. “Normally we see around 1,100 or 1,200 people on Saturdays and Sundays, so you can see what an increase we experienced with the heat wave.”

Beginning in September, Monday hours are back on the Los Altos main library schedule after a two-year schedule reduction.

The North County Library Authority, a special parcel tax established between Los Altos and Los Altos Hills to fund additional library hours and services, will pay for the Monday hours. Last year voters passed tax Measure A, which guaranteed funding for the next 10 years.

“That has assured us the same level of funding as we had before,” said Cheryl Houts, community librarian of Los Altos Library and Woodland Branch Library.

The library cut Monday hours in October 2004 when Santa Clara county libraries faced a $1.1 million budget shortfall.

“I think the public will really love the new schedule,” Houts said. Automated sorting equipment will be added to reduce staff workload and increase efficiency.

Starting Sept. 11, Los Altos main library hours will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Woodland Branch Library hours will remain the same: closed Sunday and Monday, open 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

The main library is located at 13 S. San Antonio Road. For more information, call 948-7683.