Some Rural Libraries Are Letting Their Users Visit During Unstaffed Hours

A handful of rural library systems, including Minnesota's East Central Regional Library, now let cardholders enter unstaffed branches to read, work, or use computers outside normal hours. Users register in advance, sometimes take a short in-person tour of safety features, and swipe a library card to unlock the doors; security cameras handle the rest. ECRL reports 55 registered users and more than 800 visits this year, with usage up 66% since testing ended in April.

The catch is money. Renovating just one branch for after-hours access cost ECRL about $70,000 plus $12,000 a year in upkeep, even as the system had to cut hours in three counties this year for lack of funding. One nearby county is weighing a 2% budget bump that would still leave hours below last year's levels.

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