Photo Credit: Megan Burks
By Megan Burks
The computers at Health Sciences High School and Middle College on University Avenue in City Heights are only open to students until the bell rings each afternoon. That’s when Lorena Amador, 16, often puts down her homework for the evening.
Amador doesn’t have a computer at home. She said her work is typically delayed into the weekend, putting her in a bind on Sundays.
Now, Amador and other City Heights residents can go to the Weingart Library to finish research before classes on Monday. Beginning this week and continuing through June 2012, the branch will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays, thanks to a $40,000 donation from the Price Family Charitable Fund.
The grant comes after San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders considered cutting library hours to 18.5 hours per week to trim the city’s budget deficit this year. The axe never fell, but libraries still show signs of financial wear.
According to Speak City Heights partner voiceofsandiego.org, the weekly hours of operation at San Diego libraries have decreased by about 15 hours since 2003. The City Heights facility had been closed on Sundays.
“We appreciate Price Charities for stepping up to the plate with this donation,” said Sanders in a press release. “It is through partnerships like this one that the City is able to leverage its limited assets and provide our neighborhoods with the resources they need.”
The library branches in Point Loma, La Jolla and Serra Mesa are also open on Sundays through private donations, said Kevin Klein, a spokesman for the mayor.
The added hours are especially welcome in City Heights, where computers and Internet are difficult to afford.
“Some people can’t afford technology, so it’s good they can come to the library,” said Ashley Avila, 16, Amador’s classmate. Both are studying to become doctors.