Great Falls Public Library will be open seven days a week again beginning in June.

It will be the first time since 2014.

In 2014, the city cut library staff and Monday hours due to budget shortages.

Library approves contract for remodel design

In the interim, the library has had a variety of schedules that included being open Sundays or Mondays, but not both.

Expanded hours were identified as a community need during the library’s master plan process and has been part of the library implementation plan.

Those plans included increasing staffing to enable the library to be open seven days a week.

The library levy implementation plan, this year’s modified proposed spending plan and the hiring timeline based on actual December tax revenue, which was approved by the library board in January, laid out staffing increases and the library is currently in the process of hiring two safety specialists, four part time clerks, one technology systems assistant, a full time library specialist for youth services and one part time library specialist for youth services, according to library staff.

Great Falls Public Library expands hours with levy funds; discusses management agreement

The library management team discussed a variety of operating scenarios to develop the new schedule that starts in June.

Currently, the library is open until 8 p.m. three days per week and staff noticed that 7-8 p.m. is the slowest hour except when there’s evening programming.

Staff also noticed a number of patrons attempting to enter the library between 9-10 a.m. and requests to use meeting rooms starting at 9 a.m.

Judge dismisses lawsuit against city over library election

The library’s new planned schedule to start in June includes opening at 9 a.m. six days a week and remaining open until 8 p.m. two days a week.

The planned schedule increases the number of open hours by 11 from the pre-levy schedule, according to staff.

Sara Linder-Parkinson, public services librarian, said that she worked with staff to adjust schedules based on their preferences and overall library staffing to come up with the planned schedule.

She told the library board that the new schedule will allow them to have 8-10 people daily covering the library, except for Sundays, which they haven’t had for years.

“It’s going to work out marvelously,” she told the board.

Tryon asks to review library management; library board to discuss at Feb. 27 meeting

Susie McIntyre, library director, told the board that they had implemented a manager on duty system years ago and will continue that with the new schedule. That manager on duty rotates through management staff.

She told the board that opening seven days a week was part of the proposal put before voters for the levy last summer.

She said the hiring plan all along was to be able to open seven days a week that had been discussed in the levy process and budgeting.

Library restoring Monday hours beginning in October, cutting Sundays [2019]

McIntyre said they have hired staff and done the training so were now ready to open seven days a week.

Beginning March 4, the library expanded its Monday hours as part of increased funding approved by voters in June 2023, via a city charter amendment, increasing the allowable mills for the library from two to 17.

Now, the library is open Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The library had previously been open noon to 6 p.m. on Mondays.