For Immediate Release, March 24, 2004

VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY TO OPEN MORE SUNDAYS, MORE LOCATIONS

(Vancouver, British Columbia) – In an unanimous show of support, Vancouver City Council has approved a $164,000 budget increase to Vancouver Public Library enabling four key locations of the Library to stay open on Sundays all year round: the Central Library, Kitsilano, Oakridge and Renfrew Branches. Yesterday’s decision will also allow Vancouver Public Library’s Britannia Branch to start opening on Sundays this September providing equitable Sunday library service throughout Vancouver.

Prior to yesterday’s decision, all locations of Vancouver Public Library (with the exception of the Carnegie Reading Room which is open 364 days a year) closed on Sundays during June, July and August.

“Last year Council abolished Vancouver Public Library’s one-week summer closure. With yesterday’s decision to extend Sunday openings, we have enabled the Library to offer yet another significant service improvement to the citizens of Vancouver,’ states City of Vancouver Councillor Tim Louis, liaison to the Vancouver Public Library Board and Chair of the City’s Finance Committee.

“The Vancouver Public Library Board is absolutely delighted,” states Joan Andersen, Chair, Vancouver Public Library Board. “This will allow us to both increase hours open on our busiest day of the week and provide equitable service across the city.” She adds,”We expect that this will mean 100,000 more visits to Vancouver Public Library with 140,000 more items being borrowed on an annual basis.”

Sundays are the busiest day of the week on an hourly basis at Vancouver Public Library. On an average Sunday in 2003 with four Library branches open, 6,700 people visited Vancouver Public Library borrowing 10,000 items and asking 2,000 reference questions.

Vancouver Public Library is comprised of the Central Library, 20 branches and Outreach Services. In 2003, over 5.3 million people visited VPL borrowing 8.8 million items and asking over 1 million questions.

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For more information:

Jennifer Young-Roy

Director of Communications

Vancouver Public Library

604-331-3895

[email protected]

www.vpl.ca