Chicago Public Library is closing 61 of its locations starting next week amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Only 17 branches will remain open starting Monday, as well as the Harold Washington Library Center, Sulzer Regional Library and Woodson Regional Library, Chicago Public Library officials announced Wednesday.
The open locations will operate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, officials said. Only the Harold Washington Library and the regional libraries will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Branches at these locations will remain open with modified hours:
· Edgewater
· Lincoln Belmont
· Albany Park
· Roden
· West Belmont
· Humboldt Park
· Austin
· Douglass
· Lozano
· King
· Brighton Park
· West Lawn
· Thurgood Marshall
· Whitney Young
· South Chicago
· West Pullman
· Vodak-East Side
Staff will not circulate library materials and will provide access to computers at a first come first serve basis, officials said. Book drops will be closed and locked at all locations not open during this period.
Chicago libraries will be adopting social distancing measures including establishing a maximum amount of people allowed inside, officials said.
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“Keeping a limited number of libraries open during limited hours will ensure that we provide for those who have no other place to go for basic access to the internet or other resources,” Department of Public Health Commissioner Alison Arwady said in a statement.
