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The Free Library is looking to add Sunday hours at several branches

Free Library president Kelly Richards said up to nine branches could receive Sunday service hours if the city's budget proposal is approved.

The Philadelphia Parkway Central Library in November 2023.
The Philadelphia Parkway Central Library in November 2023.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
    by Nate File
    Published 

A cure for Sunday Scaries may be found at your local library next year.

The Free Library is seeking to add Sunday hours at several branches, the system’s leader told council members at a city budget hearing Wednesday.

The expanded hours are slated for the Central Library branch, its three regional branches — Northeast Regional Library, Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library, and Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library — and up to five additional neighborhood libraries, should the city’s budget proposal be approved.

The Free Library was not able to provide information about which other branches could receive Sunday hours or when the initiative would begin.

Expanding service hours has been a focus for Free Library president and director Kelly Richards since he began his tenure in 2022. The system’s 54 libraries have gradually added back Saturday hours that were cut during the pandemic. Now, all operating libraries open their doors on Saturdays.

“This is a major step forward in making our services more accessible to working families, students, and seniors. Building on that progress, we are preparing to launch Sunday hours at several libraries next year, further expanding access to critical community resources,” Richards said at the hearing.

It’s unclear exactly how much expanding Sunday hours to this handful of branches would cost. The Free Library would be allotted about $78 million for fiscal year 2027 under Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s budget proposal, roughly a $665,000 increase from its current budget. About $565,000 of those funds would go toward wage adjustments and raises, and $100,000 for enhanced library cleanings.

The Free Library is scheduled to receive $33 million over the next five years for much-needed repairs and replacements for its aging HVAC systems through the mayor’s capital budget. This aging infrastructure has frequently caused branches to close on particularly hot and cold days in recent years.

City Council is expected to approve a final budget in June after it continues through a series of hearings and negotiations with Parker’s administration.