Lindsay Holloman loves the library, but with her work schedule — and a branch not being open when she needed it — visiting the library was sometimes difficult.
So when she heard the Chicago Lawn branch, at 6120 S. Kedzie Ave., would be open Sunday she was excited to come in during the new hours.
“Sunday is one of my only days off,” Holloman said. “Before, I’d have to go all the way down to 95th Street ... Sunday will be my day to go the library.”
The Chicago Lawn branch was one of nine public libraries to start offering hours on Sunday as part of a plan to increase operations around the city.
Though there weren’t many patrons at the South Side library, there were signs on the doors letting them know about the change in hours.
Open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., other libraries now open on Sundays include: Portage-Cragin, Northtown and Dunning in the North District; Little Italy, Toman and Hall in the Central District and Whitney Young, West Pullman and Chicago Lawn in the South District.
There are already three West Side branch libraries — Douglass, Richard M. Daley and Austin — that are open Sundays to compensate for renovation work being done at the Legler Regional Library, which is closed for renovation.
The new hours are part of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to establish Sunday hours at Chicago’s branch libraries to make library services more equitable and accessible across the city. According to a Chicago Public Library press release, throughout 2020 the organization will “continue to roll out Sunday hours in all 81 locations.”
Earlier this week, Library Commissioner Andrea Telli said the city “didn’t want to saturate any one area of the city” and tried to spread out the start of Sunday hours in locations throughout the city to make sure there were no “information deserts.”
“We took a look at existing staffing in the branches,” Telli said Monday. “We looked at population density, socio-economic and educational attainment factors. … We’re gonna open an additional round of branches in the first quarter of next year. And we’ll make sure that there are the same number of branches that we’re opening in the north, central and south.”
For 18-year-old Henry Staton, the new hours will mean a shorter commute time to the library since the Chicago Lawn location is two blocks from his house. He’ll now do his school work from there.
“I had to travel three times a week to Harold Washington,” Staton said. “I’m happy [about the new hours]. It means I don’t have to raise bus money.”
Holloman sees the expanded hours as a place for the community to gather around.
“It’s another thing to do,” Holloman said. “It’s a good time for parents to hang out with their kids before the work week gets started or for kids to finish up their homework or for computer access if they don’t have it at home.”
