Kingston Frontenac Public Library (KFPL) is trying to bring about a positive change for the community through review of its services frontenac County.
The organization is taking public feedback and reviewing service hours for 11 libraries in rural counties to better serve the community.
Kimberly Sutherland Mills, director of service, design and delivery for KFPL, said, “Our goal is to better meet the needs in our community and ensure that library service is as equitable as possible in all the communities we serve. Huh.”
According to KFPL, the Sharbot Lake branch accounts for 54.8 percent of library users, making it the busiest branch in Central Frontenac.
Meanwhile, the Arden and Mountain Grove branches, which have similar hours of operation, showed very different numbers, with Arden serving 18 percent of the township, while Mountain Grove served just 12 percent.
The Arden branch more than doubled the number of Mountain Grove branch loans and renewals.
According to a press release from KFPL, the varying degrees of usage in the branches of Central Frontenac indicate that it is necessary to rearrange the distribution hours of operations in the township.
Sutherland Mills said, “Therefore, looking at the data, given what the community has asked for, we have come up with proposals for nine out of 11 locations that we think will better meet the needs of the community.” “
No funds are available to extend the hours, but the rearrangement does not mean there will be a reduction.
In turn, the KFPL is proposing a number of changes to balance the scales including:
- Reducing the Mountain Grove branch to four hours per week and adjusting them to align with one school day per week to increase utilization
- Increasing Hours at the Sherbot Lake Branch to Four Hours Per Week
- Aligning Saturday hours across branches to offer a wider range of weekend options
To mitigate the impact in Mountain Grove, KFPL is seeking feedback on the proposed changes.
More steps need to be taken to make this a reality.
There will be at least one more round of public input and the Open House this summer to assess public interest in these recommendations, followed by more consultations on the board.
Sutherland Mills said the earliest it could see any changes go into effect is in early 2023.
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