EVERETT — Starting next week, the Evergreen branch of the Everett Public Library will be expanding its hours of operation, including restoring Sunday hours.
The Sunday hours were cut in August 2014 as part of a round of budget cuts that also reduced morning hours Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and evening hours on Mondays at the Evergreen branch. The cuts also eliminated the library’s popular Outreach Services, including the bookmobile.
That yielded about $200,000 in savings for the city, which was trying to fill a $13 million budget deficit for 2015.
“We looked at circulation figures and also looked at other things,” said Eileen Simmons, the library’s director.
“The main library had a larger collection and more computers, so if only one building could remain open, then it made sense to have it here,” she said.
From Jan. 1-Nov. 30, 2014, the main library had 354,000 patrons and the Evergreen branch had 191,000 visitors.
But that didn’t mean the loss of Sunday hours was felt any less.
“Sunday was one of our busiest days,” said Alan Jacobson, the Evergreen branch manager. “A lot of people had to change around their weeks to work the library into their schedule,” he said.
The library has been under cost pressures for a decade, Simmons said, with the steady loss of about four full-time positions since 2004.
Most recently, positions vacated by retirements were eliminated.
“Nobody actually lost a job, but we did lose bodies,” Simmons said, “and to deliver good library service it does take bodies to make things happen for people.”
When a part-time spot came open, however, Simmons was able to turn it into a part-time librarian for the Evergreen branch.
That means the library will open Sundays from 1-5 p.m., starting Jan. 11, and morning hours will be restored Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with the doors opening at 10 a.m. The branch will still close at 6 p.m. on Mondays, however.
But 2015 is looking promising already. The Everett Public Library received a bequest of $500,000 from the estate of Genette Brocken, a longtime Everett resident who died in 2014. That money will be available in the next year for programming and materials next year, Simmons said.
In addition, the library is seeking a new grant for its STEM program, which supports early learning for children up to age 3, from the state’s Thrive By Five initiative.
The library’s staff recently redesigned the website. The library is adding the Flipster downloadable magazine database to its offerings, and Daniel James Brown, author of “The Boys in the Boat,” will be the featured Everett Reads author in February, Simmons said.
South end residents are already looking forward to coming back to the Evergreen branch on Sundays.
“When the doors open up I imagine people will come flooding back in,” Jacobson said.
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
Evergreen branch library hours
Starting Monday, Jan. 5, the Evergreen branch hours of operations will be as follows:
Monday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Tues.-Wed.: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Thu.-Fri.: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday: 1-5 p.m.
The Evergreen branch of the Everett Public Library is located at 9512 Evergreen Way.
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