New Sunday opening hours for libraries across Milton Keynes

Monday February 25th, 2013

CUSTOMERS at Central Milton Keynes Library will soon be able to borrow their favourite titles on a Sunday as part of an overhaul of the service to better meet the needs of customers.

From April 1st there will be a number of significant changes to the service, following detailed consultation under the city’s Future Libraries - MK Review.

Central Milton Keynes Library will be now be opening its doors on a Sunday, between 11am and 2pm.

Westcroft and Kingston libraries will also be extending their Sunday opening hours, from 11am to 2pm to reflect the needs of Milton Keynes readers.

In addition, Westcroft Library will now be opening on a Wednesday from 10am to 5.30pm and will be extending its opening hours on a Thursday from 10am to 5.30pm.

The extra hours at Westcroft are as a result of increased demand from customers following the relocation of the branch in 2011. Westcroft library is now based at the District Centre in Barnsdale Drive where the branch has enjoyed a significant increase in footfall

Readers seeking a quiet oasis in their lunch hour will also benefit from the planned changes. Kingston, Olney and Woburn Sands libraries will no longer close for lunch as a result of customer feedback given during the public consultation.

The new library opening hours have been designed to accommodate changing demand for library services as far as possible.

Some libraries will close slightly earlier. For example CMK Library will now be open until 6pm on a Friday instead of 8pm, but will still remain open until 8pm on Thursdays.

Assistant Director for Community Facilities, Paul Sanders said: “Our libraries have a very proud tradition in offering the most up to date facilities and these improvements, particularly opening CMK Library on Sundays, form a real milestone for the city and borough in meeting the needs of our community.”

Cllr David Hopkins, the Cabinet Member responsible for libraries, said: “The library service is one of our most public facing services and, as people’s needs change we need to change with them.

“Sunday opening at the Central library has always been a hot topic, and a recurring question that I have been asked for many years, and we’re glad we have been able to put the correct building blocks in place to enable this to finally happen.”

The new opening hours for all Milton Keynes libraries can be found on the Milton Keynes Library website located at www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/library_services/displayarticle.asp?ID=67529