Whitefish Library changing its hours

Hours at the Whitefish Community Library are to change Dec. 1 as library leaders react to suggestions from the public.

Morning hours will be added three days a week.

New hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; noon to 6 p.m. Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Children’s story hour is changing to 11 a.m. Thursdays.

Library Director Joey Kositzky said library employees and board members told patrons the results of a survey conducted this summer would be taken into consideration for future planning and the change in hours is a reflection of that pledge.

Library Board Chairman Mike Collins said board members intend to use other information gathered through the survey “to sustain the library as a center of community activity.”

Last week the library received the Great Fish award from the Whitefish Community Foundation, “perhaps our biggest honor to date,” Kositzky said. That award came with a $1,000 grant.

The community foundation donated another $6,000 to the library and the John Kramer Family Fund donated $1,000. The entire $8,000 will be spent on new books, Kositzky said.

“Our volunteer base is incredible and helps us offer so many programs and events,” Kositzky said. And, she said, the amount of community support for the library has been amazing.

The Whitefish library broke away from the county library system earlier this year and began operating as a branch of city government on July 1.

In the four months the community library has been open, traffic has steadily increased, Kositzky said. In July, 6,000 people visited the library. The following month the number increased to 6,500, went to 6,900 in September and to 7,400 in October, she said.

Also in those four months, 6,758 new books were added to the library’s shelves, she said. And 1,800 new library cards have been issued to users.

Since the library joined the interlibrary loan system the third week of September, Whitefish library patrons have borrowed about 1,000 items from other libraries in the group and the Whitefish library has loaned 800 items to patrons of other libraries.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.