By the end of January, storytimes, books and community resources will be available on weekends at more than 80% of Free Library of Philadelphia branches.
The Bushrod Library is now open on Saturdays, and the Paschalville Library will do the same as of Dec. 20. The Wyoming Library will add Saturday hours starting Jan. 24. The Falls of Schuylkill and Torresdale libraries resumed weekend hours on Oct. 25, and the Wadsworth Library extended its schedule on Nov. 1.
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Those openings were in addition to the weekend hours announced at seven branches in early October. A statement from the Free Library said that by Jan. 24, 45 of its 54 locations, which is 83%, will be open to the public on Saturdays.
“We are proud to continue serving our communities,” Kelly Richards, president and director of the Free Library of Philadelphia, said in a statement. “By continuing to open additional libraries on Saturdays for public service, we look forward to providing the support and resources our neighbors rely on.”
Library officials originally planned to have all 54 branches open by the end of the year, as funding in Mayor Cherelle Parker’s 2025 budget included enough money to add the necessary staffing.
The statement did not give a timeline for opening the remaining branches, but said that the openings are meant to provide additional resources and workspace for students, families and job seekers. In February, the library plans to release a strategic plan for the future of its operations following a public survey and a series of town halls held this summer.
The library system first started cutting Saturday hours in 2018 due to budget cuts, and fully stopped them in 2020 when libraries shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weekday hours returned in 2020 and 2021, but Saturday hours didn’t start up again until 2023.