ITHACA, N.Y.—Following two weeks of renovations, the Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL) is continuing to keep its doors open on Sundays for the next two months.
TCPL stays open for 18 Sundays a year to make services more accessible for individuals who cannot make it to the library during the week. The open Sundays are funded by Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca and the Town of Ithaca, and will stretch from Oct. 15 to Dec. 3.
TCPL Director Leslie Tabor said the open Sundays have been positive, allowing her to see a variety of people she wouldn’t normally see during the week to visit the library when it is more convenient.
“We acknowledged that weekends are a great time for busy people, especially working people who may not have time off during the workweek to use our services,” Tabor said.
While the open Sundays at the library are limited throughout the year, Tabor said she would eventually love to have the library stay open every Sunday. The library was open on Sundays from March to May of this year as well.
“I definitely think that it depends on a number of factors and is more of a long term aspirational goal,” Tabor said. “But we’re very happy to have 18 Sundays a year.”
In September, the TCPL closed temporarily from Sept. 15 – Oct. 3 so the heating ventilation and cooling (HVAC) system in the building could be updated by Tompkins County Facilities Department.
During the closure, patrons were able to use the online services that TCPL provides regularly. Also, due dates for any items checked out on or after August 21, were extended to October 5th and later.
Tabor said she has received a lot of positive feedback from the community since the reopening. With the Friends of the Library Book Sale starting last week, Tabor said this is a particularly good time for the organization.
“I’m very thankful to Tompkins County facilities that the project stayed on schedule, and we were able to reopen on the date that we said we would and then it’s fall and there’s excitement in the air,” Tabor said.