We’ve got good news: The library will be open seven days a week throughout the year! With the exceptions of the July 4th and the Labor Day holiday weekends, you now can visit us on summer Sundays, 1-5 p.m. (But note that our Cook Park Library location only will be closed this coming Sunday, June 21, because of the annual Libertyville Days Festival throughout downtown.)
I’m not sure how summer Sunday closures began, but until recently the schedule was prevalent in public libraries all over the United States. I suspect it was based on library usage dropping off in the summer, when students aren’t working on assignments.
But library usage—which means access to entertainment, information, and quiet space—is no longer seasonal. Today’s busy families and professionals want to visit the library when it fits their schedules, and Sunday is often the best day for many. To meet that need, our Cook Park and Aspen Drive Libraries will be open Sunday afternoons year-round, unless there’s a holiday. Funds from the FY2016 budget have been identified to make this change without requiring any reductions to existing services, personnel, or materials.
This schedule change kicks off the implementation of our 3-Year Strategic Plan, which includes the goal of enhancing convenience for our patrons. We’ll be working on other ways to make library usage more convenient in the coming months, so stay tuned to The Scoop for further developments.
Categories: Library News
