News
December 14, 2015Albany Public Library to Add Sunday Hours at Bach Branch
New Scotland Ave. Library Will be Open 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays Starting January 10, 2016
Albany Public Library will add Sunday hours at the Bach Branch starting January 10, 2016. The library’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved the service expansion at a meeting last night.
“Expanding our service to the community by adding Sunday hours at more branches has been a goal of mine. I’m pleased that we found a way to make that happen at the Bach Branch using current staff and within the existing budget,” said APL Executive Director Scott Jarzombek. “Albany residents will soon have two APL branches – Washington Ave. and Bach – to choose from on Sundays to fulfill their education and entertainment needs.”
The Bach Branch, at 455 New Scotland Ave., is one of the library system’s smaller locations at 8,500-square-feet. The branch can be run by a minimal amount of staff, which lessens the budget impact of adding service on Sundays. Jarzombek said it will cost an additional $22,000 annually to provide Sunday hours at the Bach Branch. Those funds were found in the existing budget due to efficiencies and cost saving measures implemented in recent months.
Each month, the Bach Branch typically lends about 9,000 books and other items, has 6,000 visits, provides 1,000 public computer sessions, and delivers 3,000 WiFi connections. The Bach Branch opened in May 2010 and was named for John J. Bach, a longtime library trustee and New Scotland neighborhood resident who spent his career as a teacher, principal, and superintendent at Albany’s public schools.
