The hours of operation for the Lee County Library System will change starting Oct. 19.
Cape Coral’s branch will remain open Monday-Saturday, but there will be fewer hours to utilize the facility.
The Cape Coral-Lee County Public Library’s new hours will be Monday-Wednesday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Lee County Library System Director Sheldon Kaye said the move, while a result of the county’s budget woes, is directed more toward staffing difficulties.
With the new Northwest Regional Library set to open in less than two months, the system is unable to hire new people at this time.
“Our challenge this year was opening up a second library in the Cape. In order to do that without hiring additional people, we had to redeploy the staff we have,” Kaye said.
The change means fewer staff members at existing branches and fewer hours, but Kaye said there would be no further reductions in services.
“Except for the hours and staffing levels, things will remain the same,” Kaye said.
The Northwest Regional Library’s grand opening ceremony is tentatively set for Dec. 5 at 10 a.m.
For a full list of new operating hours, visit the library Web site at: www3.leegov.com/Library/ or call the main number at 479-4636.