By Stephen Oman
Murphy News Service

Hennepin County Libraries will extend their hours next year in an effort to be more accommodating and less confusing.

Beginning in January 2014, the Hennepin County Library system will expand its hours by 249 per week.

All but three of the 41 libraries in the system will see changes to their hours, and the number of open-hours sets will be reduced from 15 to four.

Under the new framework, 34 libraries will increase hours, three libraries will maintain current hours and four libraries will reduce hours. The libraries maintaining hours are Roosevelt, Southeast and Webber Park.  Those reducing hours are Champlin, Maple Plain, Oxboro and Westonka.

All libraries will open at either 9 a.m. or noon, and all libraries will close at 5 p.m., 8 p.m. or 9 p.m.

The move is in an effort to respond to feedback from library users as well. “Our patrons have been asking for more open hours and a less confusing schedule, and we are responding,” said Hennepin County Library Director Lois Langer Thompson.

The library is continuing to make changes to help control costs during the hours increase.

“We don’t expect the additional hours will cost the Library more,” Library Communication Manager Erica Skinner said. “We are streamlining and innovating to make the best possible use of the resources we have.”

According to the proposed 2014 Hennepin County budget, the library system has requested a $2.3 million increase from 2013, but that increase is to cover infrastructure costs not the additional hours, Skinner said. The 2014 proposed library budget is just over $74 million, up from $71.7 million in 2013.

“We are lucky to have the strong support of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners and the commitment of our library staff to increase open hours at a time when other systems are reducing hours,” Skinner said.

The final hours schedule will be available to the public in December.