advertisement

New hours at Aurora libraries starting Saturday

Hours will change at three Aurora Public Library locations beginning Saturday, Aug. 20. The changes were instigated as part of cost-cutting measures and based on customer usage patterns.

A reduction in hours first was announced in June, but adjustments have been made in response to feedback from library users. As always, the Eola Road Branch will remain open 68 hours per week, although some hours have been altered. Hours at the Richard and Gina Santori Public Library of Aurora will be reduced from 68 to 64 per week, and the West Branch will have 15 fewer hours than in the past. The Express Center is open 20 hours per week and will close at the end of the year.

The hours for all locations, beginning Saturday, Aug. 20, are:

Santori Public Library of Aurora:

9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Labor Day to Memorial Day.

Eola Road Branch:

9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Labor Day to Memorial Day,

West Branch:

9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 2 to 6 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Labor Day to Memorial Day.

Express Center (closing late 2016):

2 to 7 p.m. Monday and Thursday; 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday; closed Friday and Sunday.

"Staff decided to add nine hours per week back into the West Branch open hours because customers said they did not want their library to be closed for an entire day," said John Savage, president of the Aurora Public Library board of directors. In the original plan, the West Branch was to be closed Wednesdays.

"Our goal is to provide a balanced budget," Savage said. "This is being done by cost-saving actions, use of limited cash reserves from 2016 and strict budgeting practices. We feel we will be able to present a balanced budget in 2017 that will have minimal impact on the residents of Aurora."

All changes were made based on usage, said Executive Director Daisy Porter-Reynolds. "We did not make these decisions lightly. We examined where the highest usage was, both in location and hours, before making the cuts in staff and hours that frankly, no one wanted to make."

The total savings from staff layoffs is expected to be nearly $250,000 in 2016 and $800,000 in 2017. Coupled with the closing of the Express Center and reduction in hours, the library anticipates a savings of more than $1 million.

For details, visit www.aurorapubliclibrary.org or www.facebook.com/aurorapubliclibraryillinois.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.