Library opens new chapter on hours

COEUR d’ALENE – The Coeur d’Alene Public Library is changing its hours starting Monday.

The new schedule will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

"After some consideration, and examination of library usage statistics, we’ve decided to update the Library’s operational hours," according to the library's website.

Trustees approved the change at their January meeting. The library is currently open until 8 p.m. most days but public use is reduced that last hour.

“People are just not using us at the time,” said Michael Priest, library director, during the board's meeting.

Mornings are a different story, with more people stopping in earlier in the day. Priest said to capitalize on that, the library will open at 9 on weekdays instead of 10.

Trustees unanimously approved the proposal.

"It is our hope that these changes service the needs of our patrons more effectively," the website states.