Mt. Kisco Library to Change Hours, Add Fridays

Beginning Sept. 7, the Mount Kisco Public Library will move to a new schedule that will include staying open on Fridays.

The new schedule was adopted by the library's Board of Trustees at a July meeting, in response to a survey done of patrons and by looking at circulation patterns, according to Library Director Susan Riley.

The survey, which was conducted online and by paper, ran from late June to early July. The survey garnered "a very large response," or more than 500 responses. A request to stay open on Fridays was a popular suggestion, Riley said.

The library is currently open for a total of 42 hours per week and will continue that way. The new schedule will primarly involve shortening hours during the weekdays in exchange for adding Fridays, as well as extending Saturday operations by one hour. The new schedule will be paid for by moving funds from other budget items, according to Riley. Being open on Fridays will cost the library more in heating, cooling and maintenance.

The library used to operate seven days and 63 hours a week in its original building (since demolished) on the same location, until it temporarily relocated in 2007 to a building on Maple Avenue while construction for the new library was underway. It was during the move that the schedule was shortened to the current number of hours and was not modified since the new library opened, according to Riley. The library also let go of nine staff members then, but has since hired two part-time workers.

As departments across the village government - including the library - have felt the budgetary squeeze from the recession, demand for the library has only grown, according to Riley, who explained that more people come to check out materials.

Despite the financial challenges, Riley is hopeful for a recovery, and said she believes the state of libraries is cyclical, noting that there were similar problems in the 1980s when she started as a librarian, only for things to improve later on.

The new schedule will be the following, with old hours in parentheses:

Monday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

Tuesday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (10 a.m. to 8 p.m.)

Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (10 a.m. to 8 p.m.)

Thursday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

Friday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Closed)

Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)