Libraries to cut opening hours

NINE libraries at Warrington are to open half-an-hour later in the morning because of the small number of people using them at that time.
They are Penketh, Westbrook, Culcheth, Padgate, Birchwood, Stockton Heath, Lymm, Orford and Warrington Central libraries.
Some will also close earlier in the evening – mainly at weekends.
Library operators LiveWire have decided on the changes following a review of opening hours to provide better value for money and a more efficient service.
The review looked at usage every day and identified each library’s quietest and busiest periods.
It showed that at some libraries, just two users are visiting during the first half hour of opening, with the hours of 6pm-7pm also among the quietest periods. It also found that some libraries that close for one day a week have the same or greater usage than those that only close half-day-a-week.
Unlike other towns, Warrington’s library opening times have been expanded in recent years with the introduction of neighbourhood hubs in Orford and Woolston, which give access to books and increase activities from early morning to late evening and weekends.
In order to give a more even coverage across the whole of Warrington, LiveWire will ensure new timetables provide alternative sites for users to access within the same neighbourhood, and across the town on days when certain libraries are closed.
The revised timetables are being trialled for the next month and come following a comprehensive consultation with more than 4,000 users and non-users of libraries.
Forty six per cent of people who responded said they now get their books via the internet or other ways rather than libraries and that library times needed to compliment today’s lifestyle and provide more digital services.
If the new timetables provide better value for money, LiveWire will look to invest in more technology to improve access and attract more new customers.
Woolston Neighbourhood Hub Library and Burtonwood Library will be unaffected by the changes and no changes will be made to the E-library service which allows members to access eBooks and a range of free online reference materials 24 hours a day.
Emma Hutchinson (pictured), managing director of LiveWire, said: “We are currently trialling slightly reduced opening hours at nine of our libraries across the town.
“We have carried out a detailed review of the current usage of the service and have made the changes when each library is at its quietest in order to impact as few users as possible.
“The review showed us that despite not opening on Wednesdays, Stockton Heath is one of our busiest libraries with the highest number of book issues across the town. It is hoped that by reducing our opening times, we will be able to provide a more efficient service when libraries are at their busiest and improve investment in books and technology.”