Dayton Metro Library has adjusted its hours to reflect its busiest hours of the week.
That means that instead of operating within identical hours daily, the local library system will be open to visitors Mondays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursdays 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Director Jeffrey Trzeciak said in a statement that this will allow patrons maximum access to library staff and services while maintaining responsible use of public funding.
“These changes are to accommodate our patrons' needs because we see a shift in library usage with families and students during the school year,” he said.
In addition to changing its hours, the Southeast Branch has returned to its appointment policy, asking visitors that come between 2:30 and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday to arrange an appointment online.
The Main Library will also reinstate its chaperone policy Monday through Friday from 2 to 6 p.m. for patrons ages 17 and younger. This comes after the library removed its occupancy limit in February in an effort to curb youth fighting at the downtown branch.
Trzeciak told WYSO reporter Kathryn Mobley in April that the Dayton Metro Library system continues working on behalf of the city’s many distinct groups. Part of providing that service to its patrons includes enhancing safety.
"Over the last few years, we've been experiencing some violence at our Main Library and our Southeast Branch in particular," he said. "Kids are kids, no matter where you are in the county. So fighting is going to occur no matter where [you] are, but some of our fights, as you're aware, were quite large at both Main and at Southeast."
Dayton Metro Library worked with Dayton Public Schools, Dayton Police and other organizations to try to find ways to minimize that violence, which led to its chaperone policy.
Trzeciak previously stated that this policy requires children 17 and younger to be with a chaperone that is 25 or older.
"This does not limit the teens per se, because if they don't have a chaperone, they could still come in on a Saturday," he said. "They could still come in after those hours without a chaperone. But during those peak after-school hours, we're going to require that they have someone with them."
These rules were made to replace the previous requirement, which limited occupancy during quiet hours at the Main branch.
