The hours are changing at your local library.
Beginning July 1, the new hours have been designed to try to improve service at 24 rural branches, including Chemainus and Duncan. There are no schedule changes for the South Cowichan or Lake Cowichan branches.
The change will be cost-neutral, said Natasha Bartlett, Vancouver Island Regional Library’s communications officer.
"The environment in which we deliver library services is dramatically changing and our charge is to ensure that VIRL is relevant and accessible to our community – great and small," said Rosemary Bonanno, executive director of the VIRL. "Improving access to library service for our rural community, while adhering to budget limitations, has require an innovative solution.
We are committed to supporting the larger community of Vancouver Island as a cooperative and are appreciative of staff and customer patience and dedication during this improvement."
In Chemainus, hours will remain the same on Monday, Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the library will still be closed.
On Tuesday, the new hours will be from noon to 4 p.m., and 5-8 p.m. in the evening.
On Wednesday, the library will now be open from 10 a.m.-12 p.m., then from 1-5 p.m. in the afternoon.
On Thursday, hours will be from 1-4 p.m. in the afternoon and 5-8 p.m. in the evening.
The total number of operating hours in Chemainus remains the same.
In Duncan the hours of operation are being cut on Friday, with all other days remaining the same.
On Friday, the library will now only be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., instead of the former 8 p.m. closing time. This reduces the branch’s overall hours to 57.5 per week.
The VIRL is hosting a series of public consultation sessions this summer to allow people to give feedback on the group’s next five-year strategic plan. The sessions are two hours each. In Duncan, the session will take place on July 22 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the library. In Lake Cowichan the session will take place on July 23 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the library there.
