Reno’s iconic downtown library branch, which is approaching its 60th anniversary, will cease all weekend operations after Presidents Day.
The Washoe County Library Board of Trustees approved the updated schedule in October, but it wasn’t originally due to take effect until the start of the new fiscal year in July 2026. Last week, trustees approved a motion to accelerate the adoption of the new schedule, which Assistant County Manager Dave Solaro said would make the change less confusing for patrons.
“The fiscal impact is the same,” he said. “And we feel we can actually start earlier to provide more consistent hours to the community, with the calendar year rather than a fiscal year. That always kind of throws people off.”
The new schedule will change hours across the library system and includes an overall reduction in hours. But some locations will be affected more than others.
For example, the Downtown Reno branch, with its atrium full of tropical plants, is currently open on Sundays. Moving forward, it will only be open on the weekend for special events. However, the Northwest Reno library, which had been closed Saturdays, will soon be open all weekend.
Library Board chair Ann Silver at first expressed reservations about the weekend closure, but eventually voted to approve the updated schedule.
“This is such an iconic setting and amazing library location,” she said. “It’s sad that it wouldn’t be open at least for a few hours on a Saturday.”
Public information officer Jamie Hemingway says the change is due in part to the failure of a proposal to renew direct library funding, which voters rejected in 2024.
“It certainly is reflective right now of our previous staffing levels. We were being cautious, not knowing what the new budget was going to look like,” she said.
But Hemingway added it’s not unheard of for the library to make adjustments based on usage patterns for each branch. One difference between Downtown Reno and other locations, she explained, was the lack of free parking, which deters many patrons.
“In some ways it’s business as usual,” Hemingway said.
However, Collection Development Manager Debi Stears told trustees the loss of Sunday hours was also a response to security concerns, because libraries are county property and rely on Washoe County Sheriff’s Office deputies to respond during emergencies.
During weekdays, deputies are on duty at the nearby county courthouse and can get to the library quickly. That’s not the case on the weekends, though.
“Reno Police Department can literally be across the street, and cannot enter the building,” Stears said.
The board also heard updates on the national search for a new full-time library director. Once that person has been hired, they’ll have the option to suggest an entirely new schedule.
