User:MCFreeL

Monterey County Free Libraries (MCFL) is a 17 library branch system. MCFL was established by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on August 6, 1912 under the authority of the County Library Law of 1911. Services to the public began in 1913 following the hire of Miss Anne Hadden on September 2, 1913 as the first County Librarian of Monterey County.

Within six months, Anne Hadden opened five library branches, the first in Greenfield. Some early branch collections and reading rooms were in private residences, schools, stores, and in Big Sur at the Post Office.

The library system functions under the legislative direction of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors and the administrative direction of the County Administrative Officer. A County Librarian appointed by the County Administrative Officer heads the system. Monterey County Free Libraries functions legally as a less-than-countywide, dependent special district. The less-than-countywide designation comes from the fact that the service area does not include the city limits of the cities of Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove and Salinas; all of which operate their own municipal libraries.

Funding for the Monterey County Free Libraries comes primarily from a share of the property tax collected within its service area. This share is about one cent per dollar collected (as of 1996). Small amounts of additional funding come from the County General Fund, the State of California, from donations and from library fees and fines.

Additional or enhanced services are provided through funding from the Foundation for the Monterey County Free Libraries. These enhanced services include adult literacy tutoring, after school homework assistance, enhanced library book and material purchasing, technology services for public use and public access to internet, and youth services program support for library staff training and for direct public service.

Monterey County Free Libraries operates seventeen branch libraries, two bookmobiles, a library by mail program, deposit collections in local schools, and a number of special programs, including a literacy program which operates a literacy outreach vehicle focused on family literacy and kindergarten readiness. Free library services are provided to all residents of Monterey County.

For fiscal year 2012-2013 library materials circulation was 666,319 items and research (reference) questions of about 110,835. 148,273 persons are registered to borrow materials from the collection of 397,429 items.