A while back I’d heard that Baright Public Library had made the decision to actually close the library on a regular basis for training. I asked director Francine Canfield for some more details and here’s what she shared.
During the three-day closure last August for migration to a new ILS, the Baright Public Library staff used part of the time for strategic planning. After two days of meetings, the staff decided to recommend regularly closing the library for professional development. The library board agreed to the goal in the strategic plan for 2012. The library now opens at 1:00 pm on the third Thursday of the month January through May, and August through November. We’ve had training in CPR, databases, customer service issues, safety, and security. Our trainers have included customer service experts, database company representatives, police, and other professionals. The public has been supportive of our late opening.
So, have you considered this for your library? If so, have there been any barriers to implementing it? If it ended up not happening, why not? If your library has done something like this how successful has it been? Please share in the comments.
