[Publib] open on Sundays

[James Casey]

There are not likely to be useful "selling points" to closing the
Library on Sunday if the public likes Sunday hours as much as our
patrons do.  Cost saving is not a valid argument if your "bottom line"
is public service.  In both of the Libraries I have directed --- one in
rural Ohio and another in suburban Chicago --- the busiest and most
popular hours of service were from 1-5 on Sunday.  We did pay premium
hourly rate on Sunday, but the hours were the most popular of any in the
week --- including busy Monday evenings and Saturday afternoons.  

Does anyone know of a public library where Sunday hours are not busy?

Some staff have advocated closing on Sundays to "send a message" to
funding agencies after a budget cut and getting the public riled at the
agency that administered the cut.  That may work in some cases, but
quite often it is the Library that is blamed for cynical tactics and for
punishing their most likely supporters by taking away the most popular
hours of service.  --- It seems to me that the people most apt to
support the Library are those who use the Library on a regular basis.
These are not the folks you want to "punish" and demoralize.

I once heard of a Director of the Denver Public Library (Rick Ashton, I
think) who was faced with a budgetary crisis and needed to win public
support for more funding.  His answer was to open longer hours
(especially evenings and Sundays) and put everyone on the service desks
(including himself and the "bibliographers").  It worked.

James B. Casey --- My own views
Director of Oak Lawn Public Library
ALA Council Member




-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Shaydu
Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 12:17 PM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Publib] open on Sundays

Hi All,
I was wondering if everyone is open on Sundays these days, and more 
specifically whether anyone has gone from being open to being closed on 
Sundays. I know the staff here would really like to close the library on

Sundays (who wouldn't!), I don't really see it happening and other than 
some cost saving can't think of a selling point to close the library on 
Sundays. We have tried it before, and the cost saving alone didn't make 
it past the City Manager's desk. So, any ideas, thoughts, opinions on
this?
A bit about the city. Alamogordo has 1 library, 0 branches. We are 
trying to get the money together for a new and larger library. Our 
current hours are Mon-Thu 10-8, Fri 10-5, Sat 11-5, and Sun 1-5. We have

a community college in the city and I know that their library is closed 
either Saturday or Sunday.
Thanks,
Steve

-- 
Steven Haydu
Alamogordo Public Library
920 Oregon Avenue
Alamogordo, NM 88310
Phone: 575-439-4147
email: shaydu at ci.alamogordo.nm.us

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