Fairfield library to reduce evening hours

Starting Monday, March 3, 2025, there will be an adjustment to Fairfield Public Library’ weekday business hours. The library will close one hour earlier Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On Saturdays, the Library will continue to be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The library has been open until 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday for the last two years to provide better accessibility for the community. However, due to a reduction in county and city taxpayer funding as precipitated by state legislation, the library has reduced one staff position from full-time to part time, thus an adjustment to business hours was required.

Fairfield Public Library, accredited at the highest tier by the State Library of Iowa in Des Moines, must be open a minimum number of hours to retain accreditation and receive continued state funding. However, Fairfield’s library will be able to retain its accreditations with this minor decrease in hours. Library staff have observed lower traffic in the building during the 6-7 p.m. window indicating that this reduction in hours will not likely have a significant effect on the community’s access to their resources.

Fairfield Public Library has been continuously serving the residents of Jefferson County since 1893, and hours of operation have fluctuated over the past 132 years.

Library Director Alecs Schmidt-Mickunas reports, “Our mission to provide the greatest access to high-quality library materials valued by the greatest number of community members remains a beacon for us with this change in hours. In the last year, we climbed to have over 7,000 total borrowers, with over 3,000 having used the library in the last year. Along with this this increase in use, Library Staff remain dedicated to providing essential library services to our community.”

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