California State Library Parks Pass Now Available at Goleta & Santa Ynez Valley Libraries
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The Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries are pleased to be able to offer the new California State Library Parks Pass to patrons. The new pass will allow free vehicle day use entry at more than 200 participating state park units.
With the California State Library Parks Pass, anyone with a library card will be able to unlock the benefits and beauty of our majestic state parks.
Research shows that spending time in the outdoors is associated with better mental and physical health, and that many Californians face barriers to accessing their parks. California has a wealth of state parks, and many public libraries are likely within driving distance of one. By reducing barriers to park access and partnering with entities such as public libraries, the goal is to help more Californians explore the outdoors and generate positive impacts in the area of health, natural resource stewardship, and historical and cultural connections.
As part of a three-year pilot program, the Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries will receive 13 California State Library Parks Pass hangtags for checkout by library patrons, including mobile libraries. There are currently three Park Passes in circulation for checkout by library patrons and we expect to receive the remaining 10 during the month of May. Library users can contact their local library for more information. Library-card holders will be able to check out the pass for 21 days, then return the pass to the library for others to use. The pass is valid for entry of one passenger vehicle with capacity of nine people or less or one highway licensed motorcycle at participating state park units.
Libraries are already an important part of Californians’ lives. There are 1,184 public library buildings in California, and more than 23 million Californians have library cards. In 2019-2020, these libraries circulated over 97 million items free of charge, such as books, technology, Wi-Fi hotspots, videos, music, instruments, tools, telescopes and more. Additionally, the libraries hosted over 300,000 programs in 2019-2020, with almost 7.5 million people attending.
Detailed information on the new California State Library Parks Program, including full terms and conditions, is available online at CheckOutCAStateParks.com. To place a hold request on a Parks Pass, go to https://gvl.blackgold.org/ and type “California State Library Parks Pass” in the search bar.
