Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mobile Library topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Santa Cruz mobile library damaged in break-in; repair and restocking underway
Summary
Santa Cruz County staff said the county mobile library was broken into, damaging wiring and removing inventory; staff described repairs, rewiring and plans to restock and resume service with outside support and training.
A county mobile library operated through the Santa Cruz County superintendent's office was broken into, damaging electrical wiring and removing books and equipment, library and county staff told the Nogales Public Library Board.
County staff member Lisette Montoya said the mobile unit — funded through a partnership with South32’s Hermosa project and the superintendent’s office — was vandalized and had both books and equipment stolen. Montoya said staff replaced the generator, rewired the unit and began an updated inventory of missing items before restarting outreach.
Montoya said library staff discovered the break-in shortly before a planned event. "It was broken into at the 1904. It was in the parking lot in the back, and we were gonna have an event," she told the board, adding that wiring had been cut and the unit was shorting out before county maintenance rewired it.
Nut graf: The incident has limited the mobile library’s operations while staff complete repairs, recount inventory and arrange training; Montoya said the county and library staff have been coordinating to resume outreach once the unit is safe and stocked.
Board members asked whether books were among the stolen items and where the unit had been stored. Montoya said the library’s inventory list suggests books were taken and that the unit had been left in a parking lot overnight because it was scheduled to be painted and prepared for a morning event.
Library staff told the board the mobile library currently holds about 30 books on hand while inventory and replacement proceed. Montoya said she met with library staff to review the inventory and will provide an updated list by the end of the week.
Montoya described follow-up plans: staff training on checkout and issuing library cards, outreach to potential donors and grant sources for replacement books, and networking at the University of Arizona book festival and with Pima County for donations. She said South32’s funding had enabled the mobile library project after the superintendent’s office lost other funding.
Board member Ed Delsey asked whether police were investigating; Montoya confirmed the break-in was reported and described the circumstances but did not give a case number.
Ending: Montoya said she will follow up with a written inventory update and that staff will resume scheduling the mobile library for school and community events as repairs and restocking are completed.
