Extended Saturday Operating Hours for Dortmund's City and County Library Commencing in September
Dortmund, Germany - Starting in September, the Dortmund City and Regional Library will be open until 7 PM on Saturdays, according to Hans-Christian Wirtz, the deputy director of the library. This change comes in response to the growing demand for quiet workspaces and library services on weekends.
The library's new extended hours will provide a welcome respite for students and university students, who have expressed a keen interest in using the library's workspaces on school and university-free Saturdays. Most visitors to the library on Saturdays arrive in the afternoon, and the library's current closing time of 3 PM has often left patrons surprised.
However, it's important to note that special borrowing conditions apply on Saturday afternoons (after 4 PM) due to a lack of specialist staff. Visitors can still borrow and return books and other media using self-service terminals during these hours. While the library has seen an increase in the number of visitors who want to study or work quietly on Saturdays, some services, such as getting a library card or borrowing certain specialized media from the magazine department, will not be available on Saturday afternoons.
The library has been open on Mondays since June 2023, and it is well-utilized, with visitors enjoying the extended hours from 10 AM to 7 PM. Trained library assistants and security personnel will be available to help with simple questions during the extended hours.
For the most accurate and updated information, we recommend checking the official website of Dortmund City and Regional Library or contacting them directly via phone or email. The library's extended hours on Saturdays are part of a long-standing plan to extend the library's opening hours and better serve the community.
Visitors seeking a change in their weekend routine might find solace in the library's expanded home-and-garden and education-and-self-development resources, as the library's extended hours cater to other lifestyle preferences, including learning and quiet workspaces. On the other hand, due to staffing constraints, some library services, like obtaining a library card or borrowing specialized media from the magazine department, may not be available during the extended Saturday afternoons.
