(Image: SPL)

The ways things sometimes go, we should probably celebrate what is retained over mourning anything lost in the most recent changes for library hours across Capitol Hill, the Central District, and the bibliocentric shelves down the hill in Montlake.

The Seattle Public Library has announced a set of small changes for its Capitol Hill-area branches that will make small reductions while maintaining — and adding — seven-day service.

Starting Tuesday, Jan. 27, The Seattle Public Library will update hours at three locations and expand the number of libraries that are open seven days a week – from 13 to 14 locations – with the addition of new Monday hours at the Montlake Branch.

With the changes, the Capitol Hill Branch (425 Harvard Ave. E.) will continue to be open seven days a week, but will reduce its schedule by two hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; and will shift its schedule two hours earlier on Thursdays.

The Douglass-Truth Branch (2300 E. Yesler Way) will also continue to be open seven days a week, but will reduce its schedule by two hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

SPL says the changes are necessary to allow it to begin offering Monday hours from 10 AM to 6 PM at the Montlake Branch (2401 24th Ave. E.). The branch will also shift its schedule two hours earlier on Wednesdays and two hours later on Thursdays, SPL notes.

The January changes come after 2024’s bout of cutbacks including temporary Sunday closures on Capitol Hill as the city’s library system faced a worker crunch and struggled with with staffing and changing workforce patterns as it has emerged from the pandemic

The Seattle Public Library system says all of its branches but the closed-for-renovations University Branch are currently open at least six days of week.

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