Meriden Public Library hours

[Eastside Bill]

It is pretty embarrassing to live in a city where the library hours keep shrinking. We have more closed days, we open later, we close earlier than any of our neighbors. We're even closed all day Friday and we're the biggest town of the four!

Just to see what neighboring towns offer, I looked at their websites and found the following:

Meriden:

Mon. - Tues. - Wed. 11:00 A.M - 8:00 P.M
Thursday 10:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Friday Closed
Saturday 10:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Closed

Wallingford:

Monday - Friday 9:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Saturday - 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday - 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Cheshire:

Mon-Thurs 9:30am-9pm
Fri-Sat 9:30am-5pm
Sun 1pm-5pm January-March

Southington

Monday-Thursday 9 AM-9 PM
Friday and Saturday 9 AM-5 PM
Closed Saturdays during July and August

A town's library is its cultural heart and soul. This does not provide good service for the citizens and certainly does not enhance our image to the rest of the area. This mistake of making the library a less accessible resource to the taxpayers who fund the library needs quick correction.

[collie]

Absolutely right - especially since the new theme for the downtown area, of which the library is a part, is Arts and Culture! I felt so strongly about this, I went to the union rally outside the library. They held a rally after the four million dollar city surplus was announced and were looking to reinstate workers so hours can be stored. I think we stand a good chance of seeing our hours restored this year - it's a disgrace they were cut in the first place.

[Eastside Bill]

A disgrace, yes! It might be an interesting story if the Record Journal were to do a comparison of the libraries in the four towns, focusing on the hours they are open and not open. There has to be a correlation between the number of hours a town has its library open and the values of those who make such decisions. Meriden certainly does not come across to well in this comparison. Were I considering a move into Meriden, this would not be a selling point!

[collie]

You can try running it buy APerlot - his email addess is I think under this same thread, under want a story in the R-J, something like that. You're right, it would be a great article if the reporter questioned those in power associated with this whole downtown Arts theme and asked for their opinion. And timewise, as the city budget is debated, it would be an appropriate article.

[Common Sense]

It is unfortunate that the Public Library hours had to be scaled back due to the City budget and trying to keep taxes down. I wish we could take some of the 55.6% of the City Budget that goes to the Board Of Ed to spend on other areas of the City. Having said that, I don't consider the location of the Library downtown and wouldn't feel safe there after dark. But, I am always pleased with the service they provide me when asked. Wallingford, Cheshire and Southington do not have the problems that the City of Meriden has. When and if I do move it wouldn't be to any of those towns. All of them have negatives that I wouldn't want to be part of.

[collie]

The library has a security guard who would I'm sure be happy to escort a woman who is afraid to walk alone in the parking lot to her car. I actually saw an attempted mugging/purse snatching at the back of the library in the broad daylight some five-ten years ago. I often walk alone out of City Hall, BOE meetings myself to the back library parking lot at night. It's pretty safe, I think and crime stats from the MPD verify that. Probably safer than the bank lobbies lately. When I have been in the library at night, which is never these days since they're not really open in the evenings anymore, I always felt secure knowing I could ask the security guard to walk me out if I wanted to.

[Common Sense]

Collie makes a good point, but having said that walking in to the Library after dark would stll give me pause. But if I really wanted something I wouldn't let it stop me. It also may be the reason more people don't attend City Hall meetings etc after dark. But then there seems to have have been more people around when I had a reason to be at City Hall after dark. Now that we are in DST, which I abhor it may become a mute point. I also should mention that we have one of the safest downtowns and mall parking in the State from what I've gathered.

[Eastside Bill]

I have to agree that walking into the Meriden Public Library after dark does make one pause. I've done it and never had problem, but there are times when I've wondered if it was good idea.

That said, I happened to stop at the Wallingford library a few days back. I hadn't been in there since the renovations. What a clean, bright, airy space and a much more expansive collection of just about everything compared to that in Meriden. The Meriden Public library has a lot to do to catch up to its neighbor to the south, and not just in being open more often!