With the start of the County’s Fiscal Year 2011 on July 1, 2010, some of Arlington Public Library’s hours will change. Please note the following schedule changes that take effect July 1:
Central Library:
- Will open at 10 a.m., Monday through Saturday
Branch Libraries:
With the exception of Plaza (which is not open weekends), branch libraries will be closed for one day of service during the work week (By closing on Tuesdays only during the work week, Cherrydale and Glencarlyn will keep their current total weekly hours as those were already reduced for FY 2010):
- Aurora Hills, Cherrydale and Glencarlyn will be closed on Tuesdays
- Shirlington, Westover and Columbia Pike will be closed on Thursdays
All other current scheduling will remain in place. Click here for the Library’s current schedule, valid through June 30, 2010. Visit the Library’s online calendar for daily events.
Dont close the libaries for a day in need to do homework on the computer every day!!!
HUH??
You really need to study and do your homework everyday. Because a mind is a wasted thing anyway.
I am floored that Arlington County would close Cherrydale one full day a week when it serves as the only library for H.B. Woodlawn School — to say nothing of the rest of us library patrons. Shame on our County Board and manager.
how will this affect holds and returns? (will you get an extra day if it's at a branch?)also, does the new budget allow you to fix the westover drop off bin?
It will be very bad if you close the library on thursdays as many people who every day make lines to wait until the open hours won't have a place to study and use all the material that the library had.
As noted above, Cherrydale (and Glencarlyn) will keep its current total weekly hours as those were already reduced for FY 2010. In surveys of the Cherrydale community, the preference was for a more simplified schedule rather than varying hours throughout the week. Central Library, located 1 mile from Cherrydale Branch, will be open on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. –Library Public Information Office
I feel it would be better to reduce the hours each day instead of closing down for a whole day. For example 10am to 7pm M-F and Sat10-5 and Sun 1-5. I don't see the point in closing for a whole day to simplify the schedule. Just Simplify the times of opening and closing.
These cuts are unjustified, considering the hike in homeowners' taxes and fees. I hope library management is taking serious action to protect the public's computers from vandals at Westover.
Totally agree that the library should be open part of each weekday. They are heavily used and are what we as taxpayers are paying for!
We just added a clarification – The Central Library's Sunday hours remain unchanged after July 1 – Central will still be open from 1 – 9 p.m. Sundays.
NOOOO!! Closing Columbia Pike for only 1 day will effect us ALL! We need the library open! We love to visit the Columbia Pike library! Closing it for even 1 day will be a hardship for families & the neighborhood!
Was there any input sought from the public as to which days the branch libraries should be closed? It would have been pretty easy to put a survey on your web site. My kids frequently go to Westover after school on Thursdays, so I would have picked a different day to shut it down. Also, it seems odd that the county spent so many millions of dollars to open the new Westover library, only to leave it empty two days a week in an effort to save a much smaller amount of money. I would have preferred the old library, open six or seven days a week, to the new one, open only five days a week. And, still no drive-through book drop at Westover? It was damaged three months ago. Could we have an update on that please? Thanks.
I am a Glen Carlyn user. I understand the branch will now be closed on Tuesdays — but does this mean we keep the same abbreviated hours on Thursday and Friday (4 hours each on those days) or do we return to full schedule on Thursday and Friday? Many thanks for your help.
Glencarlyn Branch (and Cherrydale) will be closed on Sundays as usual, plus Tuesdays beginning on July 1. Those locations will have standard branch operating hours for the rest of the days of the week, not abbreviated hours. –Library Public Information Office
I really appreciate the library! Although I live in Falls Church, I frequently use several of the big libraries nearby, and I consider the Arlington Central Library to be among my favorite libraries. On rare occasions I visit a branch library. While I am sorry that the budget cuts have been necessary, and I feel sorry for those staff and patrons who have been adversely impacted by the cuts, I must note that Central's hours still seem pretty good compared to most other library systems I know of. As I understand, starting July 1, Central's new hours will be Monday-Thursday 10 am – 9 pm, Friday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm, and Sunday 1 pm – 9 pm. Thank you to all the library staff and others, for your efforts in making a great library!
The issue of children not being able to go to the Library after school was brought up not only in comments on the Director’s Blog, but also to the County Board both in letters and appearances at the Public Hearings. Nevertheless, after the Director met with the Board, which was after the Public Hearings were over, ‘restoration’ [from the Proposed Budget] was made for Central’s 4 Sunday night hours instead of 4 hours for the four affected Branches. According to the public Budget figures, letting Central be open from 5-9 Sundays will cost $80K. Restoring 4 hours to the four Branches would have cost $100K [total]. Mary Hynes made a point of saying at the Budget adoption meeting, what a small amount of money [$80K] that is.Last year the Director attempted to cut the three smaller Branches down to 3 days, but failed due to public protest. By eliminating one day- and a day specifically chosen to have night hours- from the three branches that were to be reduced to three days last year, a significant number of people from them will go to Shirlington, Westover, Columbia Pike or Central on Tuesday night. However, when those last three Branches are closed Thursdays, their patrons will NOT go to Aurora Hills, Glencarlyn or Cherrydale – at least not more than once- because they have very small parking lots. Next year’s statistics will show there’s no ‘dollar value’ to keeping those Branches open. We all pay realty taxes. The difference between Owners and Renters, is that renters can’t deduct the tax that was passed on to them by their landlords. Libraries are not meant to be made efficient by cutting services to children, the poor [including seniors] and people with disabilities. And it’s not up to busy, hard-working citizens to ‘sacrifice’ their time to show solidarity with people who can only use Branches. We expect the Board to do its job.Please contact the County Board; countyboard@arlingtonva.us, and tell them that if they can’t give back that day then change it to two half days for the sake of the children. Also tell them the next election is going to whoever promises to restore Library service to the people of Arlington. If you’re interested in organizing a formal protest before the Board, contact me at slinker41@comcast.net
I too want to thank the library staff for all they do. We have an amazing library system and amazing staff. I check out so many books for my preschool children that I could not afford to buy. People need to be more realistic that in the current economy we cannot have everything we used to have. I also think staff has been cut, and people could be a lot more sympathetic to the whole library system. Has the library every considered a donation drive of some sort. I heard the DC system was going to stop making new purchases. I would give a donation to help our system so we are not losing materials.
Last year Cherrydale and Glencarlyn chose to take their one day cut as 2 half days Thursday and Friday, which preserved their evening hours Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Now that choice has been unilaterally removed with the reason given as ‘simplicity’. Obviously it would be simpler for all Branches to be on the same schedule. Since patrons have already spoken out against the one day closure, in particular citing after school study, it seems the best solution would be for the 6 [disregarding Plaza] Branches to close half days Thursday and Friday, and be open after school, either 1-5pm both days, or 2-6pm Thursday and 1-5pm Friday to adhere more closely to the current schedule
Shame on the County Board.
what in the world? There is no point into closing more than one library at once on the same day. The other libraries will getting more traffic. Minimizng the days for a library to stay open will have students going farther out from the homes to access a freakn computer. Haha, lets look at the chaos before order.
Why not just close all branches all day on Friday. That way, children will not be shut out of a branch when they have school the next day. Those who would use the library after school on Friday can use libraries on Saturday and still get their work done before Monday. Please realize that the smaller branches serve their customers just as the larger branches do — but they are not meant to be all things to all people. Shirlington has almost 30 computers whereby Glencarlyn has 4. Glencarlyn can't absorb Shirlington's users and shouldn't be expected to. I probably take out and read well over 150 books a year. Making me wait from Thursday to Saturday to pick up a book I reserved is NOT a big deal.
After taking public comment for several months, the County Board set the Library's new hours for Fiscal Year 2011 with the approval of the FY 2011 budget in April.
What a terrible shame to close all high traffic branches on Thursdays. No more than one high traffic branch should be closed on any one day. Closing Shirlington, Columbia Pike, and the newest library, Westover all on the same day is truly a travesty. These closures will mean much longer waits for items placed on hold and will compound the wait for new and popular DVD's, which already may take months to get to a patron who is #30 in the queue, and patrons even later in the queue could wait 6 months to a year. This is truly a disservice to the Arlington Community at a time when, due to the economic times,Arlington County patrons and their children desperately need a free resource for research, entertainment, and other sorely needed outlets for recreation. Prior to such a drastic change, Arlington Libraries must carefully consider the The overall impact of these library closures, as it will affect the delicate mental health of the community at large who are suffering during these particularly stressful times in which we are living.
Hey, guess what? Everyone had a chance to comment to the board, as we did last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. If you didn't complain to the board during the Open Meetings about what a bad idea this is, then that's your loss. Complaining on this board isn't going to help you. Send an email to the board members so this doesn't happen again NEXT year.
Unfortunately, libraries everywhere in the US are facing major budget cuts. Let's try to be grateful that APL isn't having to close any or even all branches, as is happening all over the country. These are hard times, so instead of complaining about something there is no choice about–basic lack of funds–let's be glad we'll continue to have a fine library system at all the other five or six days of the week. And yes, talk to the board, talk to your elected officials–don't blame the library staff, as they don't want to have to close anymore than you want them to.
Two things that library supporters can do are to attend Arlington County's June 5 Library Focus Group (see Library Home page) and to attend the national rally in favor of libraries on June 29, 2010. Regarding the latter, library advocates from all 50 states and D.C. will meet at Upper Senate Park on the U.S. Capitol grounds. The park is within walking distance from the Union Station Metro. The event will begin at 11 a.m. More information is available at http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/advocacy/libraryadvocacyday/index.cfm .
Columbia Pike is such a big branch, it should stay open daily, just as Central will be open every day.
My children and I love the Arlington libraries. Thanks for all of your work! Having limited hours and/or closing one day a week is sad but also a sign of our times. I remember growing up and having the only library near our house 30 minutes away. We had a bookmobile once a week that came to the bottom of our street. We need to adjust our schedules because really having the libraries open everyday is a gift. A gift I have truly appreciated and hope to appreciate again down the road. Thanks again Arlington libraries because without you my kids would not have the love that they have for books.
i don't get why some of the people posting here are saying shame on the county board and library director. none of them likes closing a library. there just isn't enough money or staff to keep everything open the same amount. See, there was this thing 18 months ago called the Financial Crisis, the pop of the real estate bubble, the worst recession in 80 years……
Rachel – Your due dates will not be affected by the change in branch hours, because the book and media returns are open even when the Libraries are closed.But if your branch is closed on one of the days when your items are on the hold shelf, your pick-up time will be extended accordingly.
It is very sad to me that this fine community resource is being cut back. I fell in love with the Main Library many years ago when I first entered it, and subsequently have relied heavily on the Aurora Branch because it is closer to my home. The Branch is usually full of patrons, and I am sure that we all will miss Tuesdays at the Library!!I participated in the effort to encourage the Board of Supervisors not to make cuts this year, and will certainly lobby the Board of Supervisors to expand hours and budget next year. I hope all the people to whom this cutback came as a surprise will wake up and start communicating their need for the Library to the budget decision makers. Do it now, and put a reminder on your calendar to revisit them every other month! Thank you to all the dedicated staff who provide such excellent service!