EL PASO COUNTY — Staffing shortages may affect your plans to visit local libraries this summer.
The Old Colorado City Library was the latest to close early on Thursday because of not enough staff. Four different libraries have closed early or for the whole day within the past month. The Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) said they faced the same issues last summer.
"It's very busy during the summer. We have programs at all of our locations all day long. So we make sure if we have to do any closures that we take the activity schedule into consideration before we make closures," said Denise Abbott, Communications Officer for PPLD.
Abbott said when staff call in sick they may be forced to close if there are not enough managers to run the library. She said they will look to other locations to pull staff before closing.
"We have directors of services, family and children's services, working desks, and things like that we pull from all over the district to make sure we can cover and provide services for the public. It's not something that we take very lightly," she said.
The district said the issue will remain until they can hire more staff. Abbott said the district cannot predict when the closures will be, but smaller libraries will be affected by closures the most this summer.
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