The Hercules Community Library Foundation was established in 2004 to raise funds for the initial construction of the Hercules Library, which opened in November 2006. Until July 2011, the Library was open 45 hours per week, with the City of Hercules funding 10 of those hours. At that time, faced with a revenue deficit, the City was unable to pay for any additional hours.
The job of raising funds for any open hours beyond the 35 guaranteed by the Contra Costa Library system fell to community and library volunteers. During fiscal year 2011-2012, they raised over $50,000 to guarantee that the Library was open 40 hours per week. At that point, the Hercules Library Foundation was reactivated with new officers and directors. Since then, the Foundation has raised, through the generosity of Hercules Library supporters, over $323,000.
In June 2017, the Contra Costa County Library announced that the Hercules Library would be open an additional 3 hours each week beginning July 31, 2017. For the first time ever, the Library was open on Fridays! These new expanded hours were made possible through a cooperative effort by the Contra County Library System, the City of Hercules and the Hercules Library Foundation. This effort includes a mix of funding from the City of Hercules and the Hercules Library Foundation to pay for the additional 8 hours each week.
Recently, the Contra Costa County Library announced that it will fund 40 hours per week at each branch in the system, beginning July 1, 2021. In June 2021, the Hercules City Council voted to fund an extra 6 hours per week for a total of 46 open hours. This new schedule went into effect on July 1, 2021:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday ~ 10 am to 8 pm
Friday and Saturday ~ 9 am to 5 pm
Sunday, Monday ~ closed
The current Officers and Board of Directors of the Hercules Library Foundation, all of whom have served on the Foundation since November 2011:
Jo Ellen Marcotte, President
Charles Lucke, Vice President
Bob Polacchi, Treasurer
Susan Chai, Secretary
Sarah Creeley, Director
Brian Campbell-Miller, Director
Alex Hsiao, Director since 2018
Alysia Bright, Director since 2018
Bruce MacAulay, Director Emeritus
Sandy MacAulay, Director Emeritus
If you are interested in volunteering with the Foundation, click here to learn more.