Libraries increasing evening hours

The Alachua County Library District (ACLD) will increase evening hours at eight locations starting Monday, Oct. 4.

The update will add hours at Archer, Cone Park, Hawthorne, High Springs, Library Partnership, Micanopy, Newberry, and Waldo branches.

The ACLD has not fully returned to its pre-COVID March 2020 hours.

“Our current schedules are more streamlined, so more branches are operating during the same hours,” said Rachel Cook, the ACLD’s public relations and marketing manager. “We’ve continued to add hours as demand for in-person services has increased.”

ACLD last increased branch hours on March 27 as it continued to slowly reopen following the 2020 COVID pandemic.

“Most of our services are operating as usual and we continue to expand our offerings. For example, meeting rooms and study rooms are open, Quiet Reading Rooms are open, and seating is available at all locations,” Cook said.

ACLD added WiFi2Go mobile hotspots in April and doubled that amount in August. The hotspots can connect up to five devices ranging from computers, smartphones, and tablets, to the internet, and library patrons can use them for free.

Cook added that ACLD will resume its popular Sizzlers service starting this week where copies of newly released materials can be checked out for two weeks with no waiting.

“Most of our programs are online but we continue to offer very popular Story Time on the Green events four days a week at 12 locations throughout Alachua County,” Cook said.

New branch schedules are:

• Headquarters Library and Millhopper, Tower Road, Alachua, High Springs, Hawthorne, and Newberry branches: Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday noon-5 p.m.
• Cone Park and Library Partnership branches: Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Sunday.
• Archer, Micanopy, and Waldo branches: Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday.
• All Alachua County Library District branches are open for browsing, computer use, study room use, meeting room reservations, and printing services during all operating hours.

“We continue to practice social distancing and have clear partitions in place at our reference desks,” Cook said. “We are following Alachua County’s requirements for face mask usage.”