Beginning July 1, the Library will operate under a new schedule of public hours.
We know new hours can be hard to get used to, so we’re taking steps to help ease the transition:
- The Library’s homepage now features a “Now Open” display for a real-time check of the operating status of each location. (This tool is in beta, so let us know if you have any issues.)
- The new version of our “Hours & Locations” page includes a handy new hours chart and an interactive map.
- Look for new schedule-bookmarks, coming soon to each Library location.
Thanks for all you do. The current economic conditions make life difficult in many ways — and closing branch libraries one day a week is NOT an onerous burden on the citizens of Arlington (or shouldn't be). I appreciate your efforts and have a couple of your new bookmarks as reminders.
I asked at a public meeting how much it cost to maintain a closed library building as opposed to how much it cost to operate it. No one had an answer.I'd still like an answer, including the printing costs of the schedule bookmarks. How many library hours would the printing costs cover? What's the cost difference between maintaining a closed building and keeping it open? I sent a list of cost-saving suggestions to the county during the campaign to keep Cherrydale library open. They have been ignored.One example: If Arlingtonians could see clear comparisons between the costs of keeping our libraries open and the self-congratulatory 4-color newsletters that still arrive in our mailboxes, they might choose open libraries over the newsletters.
Dear Anonymous No. 2,Arlington Public Library has kept its printing expenditures to a minimum in recent years. Because the system is about to undergo an unprecedented change in operating hours, it is essential to inform as many patrons as possible. Some still do not use the Internet. The new hours bookmark cost a few cents each to print and will be of use for at least the next 12 months. In terms of cost to operate a library versus having it closed, the overwhelming expenditure is in staff pay. An explanation and breakdown of the Arlington County Fiscal Year 2011 budget can be found here: http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/ManagementAndFinance/budget/page72453.aspxWe welcome any suggestions for cost-savings. Please share yours with us by using this form: http://library.arlingtonva.us/Scripts/FeedbackForm.aspx?to=libraries&dom;=arlingtonva.usThank you for your support of Arlington Public Library.
I agree with the first poster — we appreciate your efforts.A couple of things — for working adults, a library that closes at 5 on a weekday is as good as closed that day. So the library is unavailable 2 days in a row — Thursday and Friday.This becomes an issue when picking up books on hold. Would it be open to consideration to extend the length of time before held books are pulled from the hold shelf for not being picked up in time?
I also agree that the library has to make reasonable cuts in response to budget cuts, however:I wonder if both Columbia Pike and Shirlington should be closed the same day (Thursday) since they are close to each other.Possibly consider listing the hours of OTHER nearby libraries when a library is closed. An intern or volunteer could spend a few hours designing helpful signs to hang up.
Thanks for the suggestion of signage regarding open libraries nearby.
I tried the feedback form but the link didn't work. Here is a thought. CHARGE FOR PARKING in Shirlington. It is a real pain to park in Shirlington for quick stops at the library. Short term parking in Shirlington is very inconvenient. I go to the library frequently and often spend 15 minutes to park to spend 2 minutes in the library. Today I went to pick up a book on hold and all of the "library" spots in the garage were taken 2 minutes before the library was even open. (There were definitely more cars in those spots than there were people IN the library when it opened.)If there were short-term metered parking or if the signs in the parking garage were actually enforced, things would be a lot better. I do bicycle there a lot but can't every time.
Anonymous – which feedback form didn't work for you? Was it the one we link to here in the comment section?
Yet Another David -To compensate for the days we're closed, the branches are keeping patrons' holds on the hold-shelf for an extra day.
To Anonymous who asked about closing Shirlington and Columbia Pike on the same day (Thursday) -In deciding which branches to close when, we paired the branches by geographical location – Aurora Hills with Shirlington, Columbia Pike with Glencarlyn, and Westover with Cherrydale. The goal was to have one of each of the paired branches open when the other was closed. We also chose to keep both Columbia Pike and Shirlington – the bigger branches – open on Tuesdays, instead of splitting them up, so that larger numbers of students and working folks could continue to use their evening hours.
While keeping holds on the shelf for pickup longer is convenient for the first person in the queue, it's important not to forget about everyone waiting behind that person. Every day spent on the hold shelf adds a day to the waiting period for everyone on the waiting list. At some point it becomes rather silly to keep a dvd waiting for pickup on on the hold shelf for a week when the checkout period itself is a week. Can you count the days spent on the hold shelf as part of the checkout period?