TOLEDO, Ohio — EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above is from Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine's visit to the Toledo Lucas County Public Library on Oct. 13.
With more people safely resuming activities as the COVID-19 pandemic plays out, a committee soon will review a proposal to increase service hours at Toledo Lucas County Public Library locations.
The Toledo Lucas County Board of Trustees Community Relations Committee is to review the proposal on Nov. 21. The proposal is based on providing equitable hours throughout the county, current use and other community needs at each location.
Currently, the total number of service hours per week is 1,056. The new proposal includes staying open later at all locations and adding Sunday hours at Sylvania, Heatherdowns, Sanger and Oregon for a total of 1,198 service hours per week.
The library system reduced hours at the beginning of the pandemic as fewer people were visiting locations.
"As more people can safely resume activities, demand for in-person Library access is returning to normal levels and hours can be expanded," according to a statement from the Toledo Lucas County Public Library.
If approved by the full board after committee review, the new hours would take effect in January to allow the library ample time to fill positions left vacant due to retirements and separations over the past year that were left unfilled while in-person visits were lower.
Throughout the pandemic, the library has continued to provide services to patrons, including programs to help students avoid the "summer slide," book groups for adults and children and recently welcoming Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine as part of the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library effort. TLCPL has even been providing free at-home COVID-19 test kits.