ROCKDALE, Texas (KRHD) — Residents in Rockdale are expressing their dissatisfaction with the Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library operating hours on Facebook, citing the hours are inconvenient for working families and children.
- The library is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays
- But some residents say it doesn't accommodate people who work out of town in cities like Austin or Bryan/College Station and students who don't have internet access at home
- The city manager says he will discuss shifting hours with the librarian, but it depends on staff availability since they're short-staffed
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The library was a safe space for resident Neil Switkowski growing up.
"When growing up in foster care, it was always a sanctuary for me," Switkowski said.
Now, he's trying to make it a tradition with his daughters —
"Saturday, I had my youngest daughter with me — I came here about 10 a.m," Switkowski said.
— but he says that's tougher due to the library's operating hours.
"And the library is closed," he said.
So he took to social media.
"A lot of the reactions are super positive — they're comparing our library to a lot of other libraries," Switkowski said.
The library is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays, but Switkowski says it doesn't accommodate people who work out of town —
"By the time most people get home and have the opportunity to come to the library with their children, it's closed."
— and those without internet access.
"How many disenfranchised or low-income children don't have access to internet after school?"
15ABC spoke to City Manager Tim Kelty about the situation
He says he plans to look at usage to figure out the best times for the community.
"It is important that we serve the citizens to the best that we can," Kelty said.
But there is one more factor —
"We do have a limited staff and so that is going to control that to a certain degree," Kelty said
Switkowski suggests the library open at noon and close at 8 p.m.
"I just think it's such a huge resource that we're not taking advantage of, and that we should, and so I just wanted to start the dialogue," he said.
