Quite a number of Seattle Public Library branches will have their hours shortened for the next couple of months. Our neighborhood branch will be closed Fridays and Saturdays through June 4. I’m not sure when these closures began, but they’re recent. Hopefully, you didn’t show up last Friday or Saturday to find the doors locked.
Staffing is one of the issues causing the closures. According to the SPL blog:
The Seattle Public Library is scheduling intermittent branch closures at several locations through Tuesday, June 4 due to limited staffing capacity. The temporary schedule listed below is being implemented to reduce unplanned closures and provide more reliable schedules to patrons.
Several factors have impacted the Library’s staffing capacity, including changes to the Library’s minimum staffing levels and increased leave usage. Our impacted staffing capacity has led to unplanned closures, as the Library must redirect staff from one location to another if a branch doesn’t have the right number, or right mix, of staff to open and operate a building safely and with full library services. The Library is working to bring on additional staffing support. More information about impacts to the Library’s current staffing levels can be found below.
Here is the status of some nearby branches:
- Fremont Branch: Closed Fridays through June 4
- Green Lake Branch: Currently closed for seismic retrofit construction
- Montlake Branch: Closed Tuesdays and Fridays through June 4
- University Branch: No planned closures
Complete information is available here.