MCPL board to vote on cutting weeknight hours at downtown library

A decision about reducing the Monroe County Public Library (MCPL)’s downtown hours will be made by library trustees at their meeting this Wednesday (Aug. 20).

The proposed plan would close the downtown library at 7 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. on Monday through Thursday every week. The shortening of the schedule by two hours for those days means a reduction of 8 hours per week, or about a 11.4% reduction in total hours. The move is planned in response to state tax cuts passed earlier this year.

The library board already discussed the proposal at its meeting in early July.

This week’s upcoming meeting agenda includes a vote on the hours adjustment for the downtown branch. In an email to The B Square, library board president Jaime Burkhart wrote, “As stewards of a vital community resource, we are committed to transparency and are working to minimize impacts [of SB 1] to our community.”

About the reduced hours, Burkhart continued, “We do understand that this could cause an inconvenience to some, and the library has proactively reached out to those known to be affected to offer solutions. We are fortunate to have a community that is actively involved with our library and values it as much as we do. We remain committed to providing exceptional library services to our community while operating within the new financial reality.”

Data cited by staff for the change include reduced door count, public computer use, and space reservations for the final two hours of the day. The data indicate that between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, visits per hour are about half as many as during the first 10 hours of the day, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Tori Lawhorn, MCPL’s communications and marketing director, told The B Square via email that the door count data “included three total entry points: the Kirkwood Avenue entrance, the MCPL parking lot entrance, and the use of the drive-up window.”

Lawhorn also said that the library does not regularly gather similar data at the other two branches—Ellettsville and Southwest.

The drive-up window, which allows patrons to return books and check out reserved books without leaving their vehicles, is open at the same time the library is open. Service hours for the drive-up window would also be reduced under the proposed change.

Public comment at the meeting on Wednesday is listed on the agenda after the vote. However, emails can be sent to each of the board members using a webform.