Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Delaware County District Library outlines expansion of hours, services after levy win
Summary
Library officials presented usage statistics and announced expanded hours, grand reopening events Sept. 15 and expanded maker-studio and locker pickup plans following a successful levy in May.
Representatives of the Delaware County District Library (DCDL) updated City Council on Sept. 8 about branch services, recent usage and services funded by a levy voters approved in May 2025.
Nicole Fowles, communications coordinator for DCDL, introduced Deputy Director Molly Myers Labady and Delaware branch staff and described new mission and vision statements adopted after a staff-led strategic plan and public outreach that drew about 2,500 participants.
Fowles said the Delaware branch, which traces its roots to a 1904 Carnegie library and opened in its current building in 1984, houses administrative offices, technical services, two maker studios (one in Delaware and one in Liberty), a local-history room and study spaces. She highlighted the maker studio’s popularity and the branch’s role in genealogy services and youth programming.
Systemwide figures for the first half of 2025 included 106,501 cardholders systemwide, roughly a quarter-million in-person visits across all branches, 18,000 program attendees and some 750,000 items checked out year-to-date. The Delaware branch alone counts about 44,000 cardholders (42% of the system) and 81,000 visits through June.
The library plans simultaneous grand-reopening celebrations at all branches on Monday, Sept. 15, at 9 a.m., with expanded hours going into effect after that date: Monday–Thursday 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.–5 p.m. The Ostrander branch will have Sunday and Monday hours for the first time. Officials also said the system is exploring 24‑hour pickup lockers for after‑hours access and will expand maker‑studio hours at a later date.
Fowles said the library increased digital-content capacity (Hoopla) after the levy and encouraged residents to use DCDL apps such as Libby and Kanopy for ebooks and streaming. Council thanked library staff and accepted the update.
