We’ve listened. We’ve debated. We’ve decided. The new hours for the Nakusp Library begin May 22. It’s a pilot project and we invite your responses.
Starting May 22, the library will be open from Tuesday through Friday from 12 to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Monday nights from 6 to 9 p.m.
Why are we doing this? Making our hours more regular means they’ll be easier to remember. Being open more hours (we’re going from 24 to 30, 28 in winter) means we’re available more of the time you want to visit and borrow library materials. It makes us more accessible for the kids who want a comfortable place to hang out after school: we have books, computers, good chairs, a free telephone, and friendly volunteers and staff.
Can we afford to do this? We’ve had some financial challenges in the past year, and it’s meant taking a very close look at what we do. Earlier this year, library board members had to make a difficult choice about where to focus limited energy and financial resources, and they decided to prioritize library hours. Consequently, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about how to make the most of the staff time we have, and these new hours are the result of those conversations.
One decision we made was to try out different summer and winter hours. So, from May through October, while the Nakusp Farmers’ Market is on, the library will open at 10 a.m. on Saturdays. In the winter, when the market season is over or yet to begin, the library will open at noon on Saturdays. The rest of the hours will remain the same.
Please tell us what you think of these new hours: we’re all ears! Library staff Sabina Iseli-Otto, Susan Rogers, Cindy Schroff, and Patty Riley want to know what you have to say. These new hours are a pilot project and we’re trying them out for a year.
And if you’ve never been inside the Nakusp Library, we hope you’ll stop in soon: it’s one of the beautiful and welcoming community spaces in the village.