The news seemed to hit Shafter residents particularly hard.

When they learned that the county of Kern planned to reopen only a fraction of its two dozen library branches after the conclusion of the COVID-19 lockdown — and that Shafter was not on the short list — residents of the Kern County farming community got busy.

Steven Mayer can be reached at 661-395-7353. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter: @semayerTBC.