Keeping the doors open on Saturdays has shown some dividends for the Flin Flon Public Library.
The library began reopening on Saturday afternoons as a nine-week pilot project at the start of last month. Since then, usage rates have been similar to other days of the week, with different clientele coming in to check out books, use the site’s computers and take advantage of other services.
“I’ve kept track of the people coming in and the books going out,” said library administrator Courtney Campbell.
“We haven’t seen a large fluctuation in numbers of patrons coming in, which I expected as it’s different people coming in to offset Mondays. However, the amount of reactivated and new accounts as well as book circulation are all up. All signs point to success.”
The library stopped opening on Saturdays in 2016 as a budget crunch led to cutting back the hours in order to stay open during the week. Reintroducing Saturday operations has led to the library closing Mondays during the pilot project.
Campbell is optimistic that the project may lead to the library restoring Saturday service on a seasonal basis next winter. The project will not have an impact on the library’s summer hours.
“It’s a strong argument for adding winter hours, yes,” Campbell said. “Once the trial period is done, I’ll take the information to the board and we’ll see how the budget and staffing affect that change and we’ll make a decision before fall. The public will be informed as we go.”
