Library wants to know when new Florence branch hours should be scheduled

The Independent

The Shetland Library will close August 29.

That, as Lambton Library officials plan for the expansion of hours at the nearby Florence branch.

Feb. 18, Dawn-Euphemia council agreed to close the tiny building on the corner of Florence and Shetland Road, has served the community since the 1940s.

The number of people using the library had dropped dramatically, particularly after the pandemic. Fifty-six people said Shetland was their home branch, but only 17 people regularly came to the library last year.

In 2016, almost 9,700 books and videos were taken out from the Shetland branch. But when the pandemic hit in 2020, that slowed to a trickle – just 677 items. Circulation has bounced back a bit to 986 in 2023, but it is just a tenth of what it was a decade ago.

To draw more people to the building, library officials said, there would need to be more services. That would mean an addition to the building. Dawn-Euphemia officials said there is no land available near the branch to build. Council agreed it was time to close Shetland’s doors.

Wednesday, county council gave final approval for the closure of the Shetland branch and approved the plan to double the hours at the nearby Florence Library to compensate.

Library officials are trying to come up with the most convenient schedule for people who use the library and are asking what 24 hours the library should be open.

An online survey is available at lclibrary.ca/survey. Paper copies are available at the Township of Dawn-Euphemia Municipal Office in Rutherford until April 30.

“We are interested in hearing everyone’s opinion about when it would be most convenient for them to access Florence Library, whether they are current library cardholders or not,” said Darlene Coke, Manager, Library Services in a news release.

Coke says they want to encourage new users to come to the Florence Library. “The first step is finding hours of operation that are convenient for their lifestyle or household.”

The county library system will reorganize the current Florence Library to allow for another computer workstation, will add an Early Literary Station to build young children’s early literacy skills and will add more shelves for a larger collection at the site.

Coke says they also hope to use the community hall to design new programs for the community.