As of January 24, nearly nine out of ten branches of Philadelphia's Free Library are set to extend their weekend hours, providing a boost to community resources and services.
Starting this month, storytime sessions, book browsing, and access to local libraries will be available to the public on Saturdays at over 80% of the city's library locations. More than 45 out of 54 branches had already been announced as Saturday openings in October, with several others joining shortly after – including the Bushrod Library, which began operating on Saturdays last month, and the Paschalville Library, which will follow suit starting December 20.
The Falls of Schuylkill and Torresdale libraries resumed their weekend hours in October, while the Wadsworth Library extended its schedule as early as November. The addition of these and other branches means that by the end of January, a significant majority of the city's library locations will be open to the public on Saturdays.
Library officials had originally planned for all 54 branches to be open on Saturdays, thanks in part to funding included in Mayor Cherelle Parker's 2025 budget. However, while some branches have already begun offering extended hours, it seems that a few more will still need to wait – with no official timeline yet available for their Saturday openings.
According to Kelly Richards, the president and director of the Free Library of Philadelphia, the goal is to provide additional resources and workspace for students, families, and job seekers. By doing so, the library aims to continue serving its communities in new and meaningful ways.
The move comes after several years without weekend hours, during which Saturday openings were first suspended in 2018 due to budget cuts. The decision was later reversed in 2020, as libraries reopened following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, weekend hours didn't resume nationwide until this year.
Starting this month, storytime sessions, book browsing, and access to local libraries will be available to the public on Saturdays at over 80% of the city's library locations. More than 45 out of 54 branches had already been announced as Saturday openings in October, with several others joining shortly after – including the Bushrod Library, which began operating on Saturdays last month, and the Paschalville Library, which will follow suit starting December 20.
The Falls of Schuylkill and Torresdale libraries resumed their weekend hours in October, while the Wadsworth Library extended its schedule as early as November. The addition of these and other branches means that by the end of January, a significant majority of the city's library locations will be open to the public on Saturdays.
Library officials had originally planned for all 54 branches to be open on Saturdays, thanks in part to funding included in Mayor Cherelle Parker's 2025 budget. However, while some branches have already begun offering extended hours, it seems that a few more will still need to wait – with no official timeline yet available for their Saturday openings.
According to Kelly Richards, the president and director of the Free Library of Philadelphia, the goal is to provide additional resources and workspace for students, families, and job seekers. By doing so, the library aims to continue serving its communities in new and meaningful ways.
The move comes after several years without weekend hours, during which Saturday openings were first suspended in 2018 due to budget cuts. The decision was later reversed in 2020, as libraries reopened following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, weekend hours didn't resume nationwide until this year.
finally! more branches opening on saturdays means less time for me to waste at home 
just kidding sorta. but seriously tho, it's a win for students and families who need access to libraries outside of weekdays 
i'm all for community resources and services being available whenever possible 
. It's great that Philly's Free Library is doing this again, I'm sure it'll bring some life to the city. More Saturday hours means more chances for people to catch up on reading, study, or even just hang out with their families... and for job seekers, you know, networking and all that 
. It's a small thing, but it's nice to see libraries getting back to normal after all the pandemic stuff 
. Can't wait to check out my favorite author at the Bushrod Library on Saturdays! 
i'm literally so stoked about this 
news! extending saturday hrs at public libs is like, a total game changer for students & families who need some extra study space or just wanna browse thru new books on the weekends 
in providing more community resources & services 
but you know what's even better? making it a national policy! i mean, why should philly be the only city offering extended hours at their libraries? shouldn't we have a standardized approach to public services across america?
. I mean, it's about time, right? They should've done it years ago. All that fuss about budget cuts and COVID-19... I don't get why it took them this long to figure it out 
. But hey, at least they're trying to provide more resources for students and families now 
️. Can we talk about how the Bushrod Library was already doing this in October? Like, who thought that one through? 
They're finally gonna open up all those libraries on Saturdays!!! 
I mean, who doesn't love a good Saturday morning spent browsing books or attending storytime sessions with the kiddos?! 
And I know some of these branches have been open for ages now, so it's not like this is a new thing... BUT STILL, more libraries = more community resources and services, which is def awesome! 
Plus, all those students and families can get access to workspace and resouces when they need 'em. Love it! 
