LIBRARY opening hours in Barrow and South Lakeland are set to undergo their biggest shake-up in years after proposed cuts were rubber-stamped.
Barrow Library will shut on Sundays and Walney Library will close 30 minutes early on four days, under the new arrangements.
Meanwhile, times at Roose Library will see an overall net gain.
Members of Cumbria County Council Local Committee for Barrow made the decision to change opening hours following a consultation, which attracted just 235 responses, earlier in the year.
Barrow Library. A local committee for Barrow report statement said: "Library opening hours had not been reviewed in Barrow for a number of years, and it was felt as part of area planning to be an opportune time to look at them."
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In South Lakeland, opening time reductions have been granted for the first time in 10 years, with Ulverston, Ambleside, Grange, Windermere, Kendal and Milnthorpe all affected.
Across the authority, opening will reduce by 15 per cent from 258 hours to 219 hours.
Ulverston Library will have a half-day Wednesday, Grange Library will be shut every weekday lunchtime between noon to 1pm and Windermere Library will close early on Monday.
The report to the South Lakeland Local Committee said: "We talked to 303 people and 624 completed questionnaires were returned.
"The responses showed that 65 per cent of respondents accepted the proposed changes to opening hours, 23 per cent of respondents rejected the proposals while 12 per cent respondents selected 'no opinion'."
The changes will not lead to any staff redundancies.
Ulverston Library.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Proposals to slash library opening times in Barrow and South Lakeland
Earlier this month, the Evening Mail revealed that Cumbria County Council had spent £617,828.30 on 64 voluntary redundancies and one compulsory redundancy in the library service between April 1 2013 and March 31 2016.
The changes will be phased in locally from the week starting Monday August 1, and the decisions taken will be reviewed after 12 months.
Posters have gone up in libraries explaining the new times.
Changing times
Nationally, library usage has fallen over recent years, with a shift in their purpose changing from simply borrowing books to being community hubs and places to access online services.
Government spending cuts has seen councils across the country slash their library provision, prioritising other cores services like health and social care.
Library changes in Evening Mail circulation area
BARROW
CURRENT
NEW
MONDAY
9.30am-7pm
9.30am-6pm
TUESDAY
9.30am-5pm
9.30am-6pm
WEDNESDAY
9.30am-7pm
9.30am-6pm
THURSDAY
9.30am-5pm
9.30am-6pm
FRIDAY
9.30am-5pm
SAME
SATURDAY
10am-4pm
SAME
SUNDAY
12pm-4pm
CLOSED
WALNEY
CURRENT
NEW
MONDAY
10am-1pm, 2pm-6pm
10am-1am, 2pm-5.30pm
TUESDAY
10am-1pm, 2pm-6pm
10am-1am, 2pm-5.30pm
WEDNESDAY
10am-1pm, 2pm-6pm
10am-1am, 2pm-5.30pm
THURSDAY
CLOSED
SAME
FRIDAY
10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
SAME
SATURDAY
9.30am-1pm
10am-1pm
ROOSE
CURRENT
NEW
MONDAY
9.30am-1pm, 2pm-5.30pm
10am-1pm, 2pm-5.30pm
TUESDAY
9.30am-1pm, 2pm-5.30pm
10am-1pm, 2pm-5.30pm
WEDNESDAY
CLOSED
10am-1pm
THURSDAY
9.30am-1pm, 2pm-5.30pm
10am-1pm, 2pm-5.30pm
FRIDAY
9.30am-1pm, 2pm-5.30pm
10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
SATURDAY
9.30am-12pm
10am-1pm
ULVERSTON
CURRENT
NEW
MONDAY
9am-6pm
9am-5pm
TUESDAY
9am-5pm
SAME
WEDNESDAY
9am-5pm
9am-1pm
THURSDAY
9am-5pm
9am-6pm
FRIDAY
9am-5pm
SAME
SATURDAY
9.30am-1pm
SAME
GRANGE
CURRENT
NEW
MON
9.30am-5pm
10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
TUES
9.30am-5pm
10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
WED
9.30am-5pm
10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
THURS
9.30am-5pm
10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
FRI
9.30am-5pm
10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
SAT
9.30am-1pm
10am-1pm
WINDERMERE
CURRENT
NEW
MONDAY
9.30am-5pm
9.30am-1pm
TUESDAY
9.30am-5pm
SAME
WEDNESDAY
CLOSED
SAME
THURSDAY
9.30am-5pm
SAME
FRIDAY
9.30am-5pm
SAME
SATURDAY
10am-1pm
SAME
AMBLESIDE
CURRENT HOURS
NEW HOURS
MONDAY
10am-5pm
10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
TUESDAY
1pm-7pm
1pm-6pm
WEDNESDAY
10am-5pm
10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
THURSDAY
CLOSED
SAME
FRIDAY
10am-5pm
10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
SATURDAY
10am-1pm
SAME
KENDAL
CURRENT
NEW
MONDAY
9.30am-7pm
9.30am-5pm
TUESDAY
9.30am-5pm
SAME
WEDNESDAY
9.30am-7pm
SAME
THURSDAY
9.30am-5pm
9.30am-1pm
FRIDAY
9.30am-5pm
SAME
SATURDAY
9.30am-3.30pm
9.30am-4pm
SUNDAY
12pm-4pm
CLOSED
MILNTHORPE
CURRENT
NEW
MONDAY
10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm, 5.30pm-7pm
2pm-6pm
TUES
10am-1pm
CLOSED
WED
10am-1pm, 2pm-6pm
2pm-6pm
THURSDAY
CLOSED
SAME
FRIDAY
10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
SAME
SATURDAY
10am-12.30pm
SAME
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