Rural libraries are expanding access by allowing visitors in during unstaffed hours

Wyoming, Minnesota pastor, Ryan Stigile, doesn't have many options when it comes to "third spaces." But that has changed recently, thanks to the local library. The East Central Regional Library’s “extended access” program, which allows access to a library branch when it is unstaffed, allows Stigile to work in the evening.

Programs like the ECRL’s are popping up in rural areas across the nation, reports H. Jiahong Pan for The Daily Yonder. So far this year, the ERCL’s extended access program has been used over 800 times by 55 registered citizens.

 
Here’s how extended access programs work: One must have a library card and be registered for the program to swipe in during unstaffed hours. Some libraries require guests to sign up in person, and some offer online registration. In-person tours are mandated at many libraries to familiarize guests with safety equipment; some have minimum age requirements of 16 or 18.

However, extended access doesn’t guarantee 24-hour access. Several programs end their extension hours at 8 p.m., or are closed on Sundays. Security concerns posed a challenge for ECRL at first, with many questioning what people would do if left unattended. The ECRL installed security cameras and a card-swipe system and has yet to encounter any problems.

The Wyoming branch — one of 12 in the ECRL system — is the only library with extended access. It has cost around $70,000, and an estimated $12,000 will be needed annually to maintain technology. With budget cuts squeezing libraries, many are more focused on their "ability to continue to provide regularly staffed hours across" than expanded access.