Everett library circulation assistant Rachel Wallis sorts through new book releases that will be available in regular circulation at the main branch of the library in downtown Everett in early 2022.
EVERETT — The Everett public library system will be open fewer days and fewer hours starting Dec. 1, and be providing fewer general services, its director outlined at City Council.
Both libraries will be closed Sundays and Mondays starting Dec. 1, and new hours will be Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays noon to 5 p.m., Fridays noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Both libraries were already not open on Sundays. The cutback means the downtown library is cutting Mondays. Both libraries are trimming back their hours to a uniform schedule.
The library system is taking a 12% budget cut. All departments are cutting back in the city budget.
This year, the library system’s budget was a little over $5.8 million in 2024; now it’s working with $5 million for next year. The library board decided how to adjust to the budget cut.
The library system will go from being open 96 hours to being open 72 hours, director Abby Cooley outlined.
It will also cut back staff, and no longer have Wi-Fi hotspots after Dec. 31. Cooley said the library system will not be replacing its public loanable Chromebook laptops if and when they fail from use.
“We know these changes will have a significant impact on our community, and I thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate these budget reductions,” Cooley wrote in a message to library patrons in its periodic email newsletter.
As of 2022, about three out of 10 of Everett residents — more than 32,000 residents — used an Everett library card sometime within the past three years, according to city performance metrics.
For a point-in-time comparison, in winter 2014, it had a schedule of 108 open hours. Sundays were cut at the Evergreen Branch at that time.
In February 2022, Sunday hours were re-introduced at the downtown library to restore hours after being closed for months because of the coronavirus pandemic. Sometime after that, Sundays were clipped again.
