Fewer hours at county library

Starting Tuesday, hours at the Sweetwater County Library in Green River will be reduced.

The library will now be open Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from Noon to 5 p.m. Overall, the changes result in the library being opened for five fewer hours than previously.

According to Jason Grubb, director of the library system, the decision came about as a result of fewer staff at the libraries. In Green River, four longtime employees retired as a part of the county’s early retirement program. The program was designed to save on employee costs by offering a one-time incentive for county employees to retire early. The duties from those positions are then distributed amongst other staff members and the positions are left unfilled.

Ultimately, the issue comes from the reduced revenues experienced at the county level, which provides money to entities like the county library system. While he would like to have the libraries open longer, his staffing levels don’t allow for that.

Grubb said the new hours were selected after surveying patrons regarding which times they would most likely be at the library and looking at the busiest times for staff. For the weekday mornings, Grubb said the libraries weren’t being utilized during after opening at 9 a.m., seeing more traffic come through after 10 a.m. For Fridays, Grubb said he wants the libraries to remain open later and allow residents who may work until 5 p.m. a chance to visit the library after work, as well as allow them to pick up children and teens participating in evening programs.

For the change from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, Grubb said the change came about after patrons indicated they used the library more frequently after noon.

Grubb remains hopeful the staffing situation is temporary and when the revenue situation improves for both the library and county, the system will be able to extend its operational hours, as well as offer new programs through new staff members. The staff are often who create and host the programs at the library.