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Philadelphia Announces Cuts in Hours, StaffFour branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia begin half-day service January 24, the first of 20 branches to move to an afternoon-only schedule as part of a cost-cutting reorganization. In addition, 13 librarians and four library administrators were among 200 city employees sent layoff notices January 10.Officials say the changes will allow all 55 city libraries to offer Saturday hours and be open during peak-use times. “What we are trying to do is target when the libraries are used the most,” said Dan Fee, Mayor John F. Street’s spokesman, in the January 15 Philadelphia Inquirer. Only 10 libraries are currently open on Saturdays, and between July and December last year, libraries were closed for a total of 734 hours because of staffing shortages, officials said. But library supporters worry about eliminating librarian positions and say the changes will hurt the system, the Inquirer reported January 20. “If library usage is low in some communities, then we should be working harder to increase patronage, not shortening hours,” said Amy Dougherty, executive director of the Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Library Director Elliot Shelkrot acknowledged that branches moving to half-day service would not have librarians on staff, but said that if needed, patrons with reference questions could be referred to a librarian at a nearby branch. “This is much better library service than we have going on today,” he said. Posted January 21, 2005. |
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