Library Board alters Alfred Dickey hours, considers changes for county library

Talk about it

Changes lie ahead for the Alfred Dickey Library — and eventually for the Stutsman County Library as well.

The James River Valley Library System Library Board eliminated Sunday hours at the Alfred Dickey Library and discussed possibilities for the Stutsman County Library.

“We’re facing really two things. Are we going to have the space at the Stutsman (County) Library, and how much longer will our current bookmobile serve the county?” said Joe Rector, director of the James River Valley Library System.

During a meeting of the JRVLS Library Board, Rector indicated that the Stutsman County Housing Authority had expressed interest in purchasing the building that currently houses both the Stutsman County Library and the James River Senior and Community Center.

If the Housing Authority bought part of the building, there could potentially be room for the library to expand.

However, the library board wasn’t certain whether the Housing Authority would allow library patrons access to the building’s bathrooms.

“There’s so many variables that are up in the air, and the issue of greatest concern is restroom access, and that might be a sticking point with the new entity that’s interested in buying,” Rector said.

Members of the library board agreed they needed to get more details about the possible transaction to find out how it would affect the Stutsman County Library.

Part of the Stutsman County Library’s funding also goes to its bookmobile, which travels the county distributing and picking up books.

The library system has $75,900 in its bookmobile fund, but a new bookmobile of the same size as the existing one would cost more than $300,000.

Rector proposed investigating further the possibility of keeping quantities of books at the locations the bookmobile stops at — typically schools — and purchasing a smaller bookmobile vehicle such as an SUV. Then books could be rotated around the different locations.

“I think there would be, actually, a significant savings,” Rector suggested.

The library board took no action on the matter at its meeting Wednesday, but will continue considering the matter for the future.

Also in the future may be changes in the hours at the Stutsman County Library.

Currently, it is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Rector would prefer the building be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., allowing people to visit the library after work.

“In order to make Stutsman (County Library) viable, we’ve got to increase the usage. In order to increase the usage we’ve got to go to some evening hours. There’s just no other way,” Rector said. “My job is to make both these libraries thrive and prosper.”

The library board discussed options for possible changes but decided not to take action until more information about the possible purchase of the building becomes available.

They did adjust the hours for the Alfred Dickey Library, eliminating its Sunday hours altogether.

Monday through Thursday, the library will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., instead of remaining open until 8:30 p.m.

On Fridays, the library will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., instead of being open until 5:30 p.m.

And on Saturdays, the Alfred Dickey Library will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. rather than 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

“If we have a lot of pushback from patrons, we can adjust” those hours, said Dale Marks, chairman of the library board.

Sun reporter Kari Lucin can be

reached at 701-952-8453

or by email at

klucin@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, library