LAST MONDAY, there was one. On Tuesday, there were five. And Thursday, there were six “unscheduled closings” of libraries in Philadelphia.
On any given day this year, one or more branches of the 54-branch Free Library of Philadelphia have been closed unexpectedly due to staff shortages.
The daily closings have increased significantly since September, ranging from four to seven branches on most days. Ten branches closed or reduced their hours unexpectedly Dec. 3, for example.
“The library is critically short-staffed,” said Amy Dougherty, director of the Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia, who has been tracking the unscheduled closings. “Librarians [are] completely stressed out. They wake up not knowing what branches they’re going to that day.”
Story from Philadelphia Daily News.
worse than bad
This is far worse than having scheduled closings. It only takes one wasted trip to a closed library for a member of the public to decide not to use the library anymore. If they’re really devoted, they’ll call ahead. Library hours have to be predictable, and they have to be consistent, just like movie theaters.