Don't plan any trips to the library this week, folks. It'll be closed.
All branches of the Seattle Public Library will be closed from today and will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 4. The closure is a cost saving maneuver which helps deal with a downsized library budget.
All services will be inactive and the drop box will be locked. Some online services at the library's website, www.spl.org, will still be available, but there will be no librarians to assist.
But don't worry, no late fees or fines will be charged during the one week closue. Librarians ask that you look at the due date on your receipt -- return times for patrons should be staggered, which will help librarians process the rush of return books after the library reopens.
The library runs on a budget of $51.8 million dollars, most of which goes to direct public service, including personnel. Many libraries have already been reduced to 35 hours a week and the $5 million budget for books is 13 percent less than it was in 2009.
"Without the closure, it would have been difficult to generate the magnitude of savings necessary without cutting more operating hours or further reducing the book budget," city librarian Marcellus Turner said in a press release. "We understand how much people depend and rely on our services, but these are very difficult economic times."