Sherborne Library members aged 16 and over can now let themselves in from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday, against 30 staffed hours before. How to sign up.

Sherborne Library members can now use the library from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday, including when no staff are on duty. Dorset Council announced the launch of Extended Access at the library on 26 October.

Members scan their library card at the door and key in a PIN. Once inside they can borrow and return books, use the free wi-fi and the public computers, and hire rooms for community groups. The council’s announcement says the library keeps its 30 staffed hours a week alongside the new access.

What changes

Extended Access covers 72 hours a week, 12 hours a day for six days. The staffed timetable stays as it is. The council’s opening hours page lists those hours as:

Day Staffed hours Extended Access
Monday 10am to 5pm 8am to 8pm
Tuesday Closed 8am to 8pm
Wednesday Midday to 6pm 8am to 8pm
Thursday 10am to 5pm 8am to 8pm
Friday 10am to 5pm 8am to 8pm
Saturday 10am to 1pm 8am to 8pm
Sunday Closed Closed

Tuesday is the biggest change. The library has no staffed hours that day, so until now the building was shut. Saturday afternoons and weekday evenings after 5pm are new too.

Extended Access does not run on bank holidays. No staff are there to help outside the staffed hours, and members cannot change their account details then, according to the council’s membership guide.

The fourth library in Dorset to do it

Sherborne follows Gillingham, Sturminster Newton and Verwood. The council says the scheme was paid for with investment from Arts Council England. It has not said how much.

The Sherborne building closed in April for asbestos removal and to prepare for Extended Access, with a reduced service run from the Digby Hall lobby in the meantime. The council said at the time that the asbestos was contained and had never been a risk to library users.

Cllr Ben Wilson, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for transformation, customer and workforce, said: “This innovative system is a great addition to the library service we offer at Sherborne Library.”

He added that the council had “already seen positive differences Extended Access has made to residents in other parts of Dorset”.

What it means for you

If you work office hours in Sherborne, or commute from it, you can now get to the library before work, after work or on a Saturday afternoon.

To sign up, the council’s Extended Access page sets out the rules:

  • you must be a full library member, aged 16 or over
  • you complete a short induction, online or in person with library staff
  • you agree to the terms, the Library Code of Conduct and the CCTV notice
  • the council then activates your card for the extra hours

Under-16s can use the extra hours with a parent or guardian who has registered. A carer coming with a member must register and do the induction too. If you owe £10 or more in fees you can still join, but you cannot borrow or use the computers until it is paid.

Joining the library is free. Ask at the desk during staffed hours, or start the induction online from the council’s membership guide.

For other council services in the area, see our guides to Dorset bin collection days and parking in Dorset.