Opening hours at Derbyshire libraries across the borough and county are changing from the end of this month and customers are being encouraged to check the new times before visiting their local branch.
From Monday 31st March, all 43 Derbyshire County Council-run libraries will introduce the new opening hours timetable, and although slightly reduced, the revised hours have been tailored to ensure branches are open when most people regularly use them. Borough libraries are located in Borrowash, Ilkeston, Long Eaton and Sandiacre.
The changes are part of the implementation of the new Derbyshire Public Library Strategy, which is aimed at securing the future of county libraries, ensuring they remain open, offering modern and sustainable services to their communities.
The new strategy was agreed in January following a 12-week public consultation which saw 3,800 residents give their views.
All county council-run libraries (excluding two in North Derbyshire) will reduce their opening hours by an average of 10 per cent.
However, all libraries will be open for a time on Saturdays, with all but the smallest libraries also opening until 6pm once a week. No libraries will be open for less than 16 hours per week.
To mitigate the reduced opening hours, reservation charges for book and talking book requests, where the item is either in print or in stock in Derbyshire libraries, will be removed, as will charges for borrowing talking books.
Derbyshire County Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture, Tourism and Climate Change Councillor Barry Lewis said: “We know people feel as passionately about our libraries as we do, which is why our new strategy sets out a robust and sustainable plan for the future of this valuable service.
“Revised opening times are just a part of the picture, and there are elements we hope will be welcomed like removing certain charges for reserving books.
“It is so important that despite our well-documented budget pressures we continue to provide a strong, modern, accessible library service to all our residents and communities and we are confident the changes we are making will ensure the service as a whole goes from strength to strength for years to come.”
Library users who are planning on visiting their local branch are asked to check revised opening times from Monday 31st March on the county council’s website here. You can also ask about the new times at their local library with immediate effect. Any queries should be emailed to ask.library @ derbyshire.gov.uk
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