Library branches out
The hours at the Creemore branch of Clearview Public Library will be changing in the New Year.
Effective Jan. 2, the library will be open Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on a trial basis.
CEO Jennifer LaChapelle explains the dinner hour break in library hours was a staffing issue.
“The budget for 2024 was already done so we’ll have the same number of open hours with some shifts based on useage,” she said. “We’ve been wondering for a few years whether the opening hours are the best to serve the community. We decided to wait a yearor two after the pandemic to study traffic patterns.”
Following the six-month pilot project, the new hours will be evaluated to see whether the change should be permanent.
Clearview Public Library is also planning to increase outreach in the coming year. Discover Library Days
started in the parking lots outside the Nottawa Memorial Community Centre and the Dunedin Village Hall last June. In November, the programs moved indoors. Patrons can visit the Nottawa Hall twice a month on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the Dunedin Hall from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Staff bring a variety of materials from the library collection including books and activity kits. Anyone wishing to borrow a specific title can reserve it and have it sent to their local hall. LaChapelle says it has been hard getting the programs off the ground but on days when the weather cooperates there has been some traffic. The next Discover Library Days event is scheduled for Dec. 12.
LaChapelle anticipates services will be expanded to the parking lots of two more community halls (yet to be determined) in the spring. A request for more funding to add indoor Discovery Library events at two more locations next fall has been submitted to Clearview Township.
