Education
City libraries to stay open until ten every weekday
The Meridian Daily ·
Sunday, 27 September 2026 ·
Page 2
All eleven public libraries in Harbour City will open until ten in the evening from Monday to Friday, after a trial at the central library proved popular with students and shift workers.
The longer hours are paid for by moving some library services online and by a grant from a local foundation. Staff numbers will rise by fourteen.
At the central library, evening visits rose by sixty per cent during the trial. "People come after work to study, to read the papers or just to sit somewhere warm and quiet," said chief librarian Ruth Haldane.
The deputy mayor said the plan had been shaped by hundreds of comments from residents. "This is a better project because people told us what they needed," she said.
Local schools will be invited to follow the work, and a small exhibition about the plans will open in the central library next month.
The longer hours are paid for by moving some library services online and by a grant from a local foundation. Staff numbers will rise by fourteen.
At the central library, evening visits rose by sixty per cent during the trial. "People come after work to study, to read the papers or just to sit somewhere warm and quiet," said chief librarian Ruth Haldane.
The deputy mayor said the plan had been shaped by hundreds of comments from residents. "This is a better project because people told us what they needed," she said.
Local schools will be invited to follow the work, and a small exhibition about the plans will open in the central library next month.
