Submitted by Stephen Kight
We have an
update about library hours.
As a reminder,
following a closure of all the branches in the first few months of the pandemic
last spring, we reopened on June 15 with reduced
hours. At that time the branches were closed to the
public (except for curbside service) all day Tuesday, all day Thursday, and
Saturday mornings, and we closed early on Monday and Wednesday evenings.
Beginning the week of February 1, all
library branches will open at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday mornings,
returning the library to its full regular hours:
Monday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Tuesday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Wednesday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Sunday 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
We expect that
patrons will be pleased to see the return to regular hours. One of the main reasons that we closed
Tuesday and Thursday mornings was to provide blocks of time devoted entirely to
curbside pickup service. However, usage
of the curbside pickup service has declined dramatically and we no longer need
dedicated time just for this purpose.
One of the benefits
of being closed Tuesday and Thursday mornings was that branch staff had time to
work uninterrupted on a variety of tasks, such as recording virtual programs or
participating in training. Supervisors
will ensure that staff continue to have time to complete their assigned tasks.
Opening more
hours is beneficial because greater opportunities to visit the library should
result in patrons spreading themselves out more throughout the week.
We will
announce the restored hours to the public in the near future.
I am struggling to understand how this expansion of hours makes sense given the current public health conditions. It is disappointing to see FCPL providing more in-person access at a time when Covid numbers are rising rapidly. It seems ironic that at the same time that other library systems in our area are restricting branch access, we have decided to expand ours.
ReplyDeleteWe understand that this may not be an obvious decision. We do not expect that opening earlier on Tuesdays and Thursdays will increase the total number of patrons, but will actually allow for fewer patrons at a time on these days. Some of our branches are reporting large numbers of patrons when we open at 1:00, as they are waiting for the building to open. We also need to keep in mind the original justification for opening later on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which was to provide blocks of time for curbside service. Curbside service is not being used at nearly the rate it had once been.
DeleteStaff should continue to take measures to help ensure a safe environment for themselves and for patrons, by following social distancing guidelines, wearing masks, and washing hands frequently.
In the normal course of things it would make perfect sense to return to regular hours after the initial purpose of late opening had passed. There are patrons and community members who don’t think COVID is a real concern and that everything should go back to normal. But it’s not going to be normal anytime soon. We don’t want to take away from your authority, but it would mean so much if we were part of the conversation. Why weren’t the front line staff asked how we felt about it? For the patrons, this is all voluntary, including whether they wear a mask, keep their distance, or cover their mouths when they cough. Even coming in to use the computers for critical tasks is voluntary because if we wanted to we could allow curbside laptop usage with parking lot Wi-Fi. Not so for staff. We either accept the job or leave. Hobson’s choice. And we are so fragile right now. My question is: are the surveys, the Q&A, the “speak to your supervisor” genuine offers to hear our points of view, or just optics? - Mary
ReplyDeleteMary, We are doing our best to balance staff and patron safety with access to library resources in the context of our specific community. I have a good understanding of difficult choices between unappealing options. Steve talked individually with the Branch Managers and we met with them as a group prior to making this decision. They provided valuable input and were unanimous in the decision to reopen on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and for that to be the only significant change we are making at this time. I share this not to pass responsibility to the Branch Managers (the responsibility is mine), but to reinforce that decisions are not made in a vacuum. It is not a reasonable expectation that we get a consensus from 130 staff members before making decisions. Your direct supervisors continue to be the most effective and appropriate channel for questions and concerns, but surveys and Q & A sessions remain important means of communication in all directions.
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