How Philadelphia Libraries Are Staffed
Dear Friends:
I have heard that some rumors are flying around about how many staff members are needed in each library in order for them to remain open. The rules and regs are very complicated, but hopefully these bullet points will clear up some misunderstandings.
It depends on the library, but a few of the guidelines are:
- a Municipal Guard must be present
- a Librarian or Library Supervisor must be present
- libraries with one floor must have 4 staff members to open
- libraries with two floors must have 5 staff members to open.
These are the broadest guidelines but some branches have slightly different situations. At PCI, for example, we actually need 6 people to open for 8 hours and 5 people to open for 4 hours.
Regarding Saturday hours, the Free Library Administration is holding off on implementing changes until the Library can hire more workers.
On a side note, here is the link to the current issue of Booklist Reader for your reading pleasure. On page 11, it lists some hot books coming out this month that you might like to put on reserve!
Best wishes to all for a cool autumn. Can't wait!
Judith Everitt
President of the PCI Friends