City passport facility offers online services
After much demand, the Santa Clarita Public Library’s Passport Acceptance Facility will now offer online services and is looking to expand operation hours in October.
The passport hub, which opened in August at the Old Town Newhall Library, offers services like first-time passports, select passport renewals, passport replacements and photos.
Gina Roberson, the library administrator at Newhall, said people would have the opportunity to make appointments online once the webpage on the Santa Clarita Library website goes live on either Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.
While staff can help in person and via telephone, Roberson said they are excited to make the experience more self-service.
“People will get to cancel or reschedule online,” she said. “Online appointments are not only helpful for staff, but it also gives people more specific information about the services they are looking for at any time.”
Currently, the Passport Acceptance Facility offers services only twice a week but, based off demand, Roberson said, hours of operation will expand to Monday through Friday in October.
While the facility will remain open until 5:30 p.m. on most days, Tuesdays and Thursdays hours will run until 7:30 p.m. “for people to have access after work hours.”
The Newhall Library is the only one in the Santa Clarita Valley offering passport services. The next closest location is in Castaic.
Roberson said there has been no discussion on expanding services to other SCV libraries.
“The biggest challenge (in expanding) is making sure we are not taking public space away,” Roberson said. “We found space at the Newhall Library, and it has been redesigned to accommodate this offer. It’s secluded.”
The city of Santa Clarita is inviting the public to commemorate the opening of the Passport Acceptance Facility at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3, on the second floor of the Newhall Library.
For more information, visit santa clarita library. com/passport-services or contact city Librarian Shannon Vonnegut at svonnegut@santaclarita.com or at 661-799-6132.