New Castle County may be shuffling library hours to keep costs down while bringing back some Sunday hours.
In January, libraries reduced their hours, closing down Thursday evenings and Sundays. The reduction in hours parallels a workforce reduction attained through attrition, according to county officials.
Residents have complained so Community Service officials are proposing to close some libraries another day of the week so they can re-open Sundays, said Anne Farley, general manager of NCCo Community Services.
This would allow people who observe religious holidays, such as the Saturday Sabbath, to have Sunday available to them as well, Farley said at the NCCo Community Services Committee meeting Tuesday, June 23.
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Proposed library hours 55 hours - Regional libraries (like Brandywine & Newark) 50 hours - Area libraries (like Bear) 40 hours - Neighborhood libraries (like Elsmere & Claymont) closed on Sundays. For more information, visit nccde.org/library |
Councilmen Bill Bell (D-Middletown) and William Powers (D-Townsend) argued for more resources for Appoquinimink Library.
Specifically, Bell wondered if the library should introduce Sunday hours.
Powers agreed. Appoquinimink differs significantly from northern libraries like Elsmere and Claymont that have a regional library close by, he said.
“For Appoquinimink, you’re going to have a 15-minute ride to get to Bear,” he said.
Council President Paul Clark (D-Newark) said at a time when things have to be cut back, people are not going to miss having a day they never had, and he pressed for numbers to show how often each of the libraries are used.
