HIGH staff vacancies and sickness force Slough libraries to have opening hours altered and some even closed on certain days.

Slough Borough Council has announced it is changing the opening hours, altering self-serve provisions, and closures on certain days from August and beyond as pressure on staff builds.

The local authority believes this is the best short-term solution as its four libraries see a high number of staff vacancies and sicknesses.

Liz McMillan, locality hubs and library services manager, said: “We are really disappointed to have to make these changes, but the pressure on existing staff is too much.

“We have to make some temporary changes to the opening times and which libraries can remain open each day. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes.”

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The council said others within the authority have supported the library team to keep it business as usual, but this cannot continue.

Britwell library will have a self-serve on certain days where residents will be able to borrow, return and renew books through the self-serve kiosks. They can still book and use the public computers and print from them and use WiFi.

The full list of ad-hoc August changes is below. A September rota is currently in progress.

  • Wednesday 17 August – Britwell staffed 1.30-5pm and self-serve from 9am-1.30pm. Langley closed. Curve and Cippenham open.
  • Thursday 18 August – Britwell self-serve only, 9am-5pm. Curve, Cippenham and Langley open.
  • Friday 19 August- Britwell self-serve only, 9am-5pm. Cippenham closed. Curve and Langley open.
  • Monday 22 August – Britwell staffed 1.30-5pm and self-serve from 9am-1.30pm. Langley closed. Curve and Cippenham open.
  • Thursday 25 August – Britwell self-serve only, 9am-5pm. Langley closed. Curve and Cippenham open.
  • Friday 26 August – Britwell self-serve only, 9am-5pm. Cippenham closed. Langley closed. Curve open
  • Wednesday 31 August – Langley open 12noon-5pm, Britwell staffed 1.30-5pm and self-serve from 9am-1.30pm. Curve and Cippenham open.

Instruction notices will be put up, which will also offer the contact numbers for other libraries open that day.

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Residents who had made appointments to see a customer adviser, on a day when the library will now be closed, will be contacted so other arrangements can be made.

Earlier this year, senior councillors decided to save Cippenham and Langley libraries from closure for the next 12 months from the cuts the council is having to make.

Instead, all four libraries saw their opening hours and staff hours reduced.