City hears you

THE City of Cape Town takes note of the letter “Open libraries” (Cape Times, October 18) and acknowledges the important role that libraries play in the education of our children and the information, and knowledge, they provide to the broader community.

All but one of the City’s libraries are open on Saturdays, several until late afternoon.

We are continually assessing library hours in the context of community needs and do adapt opening hours subject to operational resources available.

Given our budget realities, the Library and Information Services Department has categorised libraries as city-wide, regional or community libraries and these are open for a total number of hours (63 hours, 45 hours or 35 hours respectively) from Monday to Saturday.

Where possible, libraries adjacent to one another will also differentiate between their opening hours to collectively provide increased accessibility to residents in Cape Town.

We are considering the requests to open libraries on Sundays within the context of current resource constraints and implications.

Careful consideration is always given to any changes in opening hours, as an increase in hours on a particular day will necessitate a decrease on another day, to ensure that we can sustain services with the resources available.

I invite community members who would like to volunteer their services at the libraries to please engage with their local library. Alderman JP Smith Mayoral Committee Member for Social Services