In an effort to better serve the public and their busy schedules, in December the East Central Regional Library Board approved new operating hours at all 14 library branches across the six county area. The new hours will begin on Sunday, March 4, 2018, and can be viewed by clicking on any of the listed libraries on the Location & Hours page.
According to Carla Lydon, ECRL Executive Director, these changes are a culmination of a multi-year process during which time ECRL sought public feedback in our communities and consulted staff, Board members, and local officials in an effort to better balance our resources across our six county region. Prior to this, open hours had remained the same for more than a decade, despite changes in facilities, communities and traffic patterns. It is our hope that these new schedules will better serve the public and provide appropriate staffing levels to continue to provide the excellent customer service that people rely on when visiting our libraries.
East Central Regional Library is looking for public opinion on the hours that each of the system’s 14 branch libraries should be open.
You are encouraged to participate in the ECRL library hours survey, which is available here and in print format at all branches. Results of the survey will be considered as ECRL determines the appropriate distribution of hours and staffing that provides the best customer service for each branch library in the regional library system and makes the best use of public funding.
Take the survey:
East Central Regional Library is a consolidated regional library system with 14 branch locations that are open a combined total of 543 hours per week. It has been many years since a review of hours and staffing was done. Community profiles and habits have changed over time, as do the needs for staff support at the libraries. Do the open hours of the library that were established 10 or more years ago match what people need now? Recognizing that budget and thus staff resources are limited, what would be the most beneficial hours for each library to be open?
For more information, questions or any comments on this survey, send an email to ecregion@ecrlib.org or contact ECRL Director Barbara Misselt at 763-689-0643.
The survey will close at the end of July 20, 2016
