Libraries - German Association of Cities calls for libraries to open on Sundays
The German Association of Cities is calling for public libraries to be allowed to open on Sundays. "In future, cities should be able to decide for themselves whether and how often they open their libraries on Sundays," Managing Director Helmut Dedy told the Funke Mediengruppe newspapers.
"Opening public libraries on Sundays would be a measure that doesn't cost the federal government a cent and at the same time promotes education, culture and inner-city development." The federal government would have to amend the Working Hours Act accordingly.
Management levels and teams at leading libraries in Germany recently also called for the right to open on Sundays in an open letter to the federal government.
"Public libraries are the most heavily used educational and cultural institutions in cities, but at the same time they are almost the only ones that are not allowed to open on Sundays," said Dedy, pointing out that opera houses, museums, theaters, swimming pools, cinemas, concert halls and academic libraries are also allowed to open on Sundays. "That doesn't go together," says Dedy. Opening on Sundays would give more people free access to cultural and educational offerings.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, a court ruled in June that public libraries in the state should also be allowed to open on Sundays and public holidays. The trade union Verdi had taken legal action against a corresponding ordinance issued by the state.
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The proposal to allow public libraries to open on Sundays is supported by the German Association of Cities' Managing Director, Helmut Dedy. He argued that this change would promote education, culture, and urban development without incurring any cost to the Federal Government. The Federal Government would need to amend the Working Hours Act to accommodate this shift. Furthermore, management levels and teams at leading libraries in Germany have also advocated for the right to open on Sundays, penning an open letter to the Federal Government. Dedy highlighted that public libraries, despite being heavily utilized educational and cultural institutions, are one of the few that are not permitted to open on Sundays, a situation he finds inconsistent with other facilities like museums, theaters, and academic libraries. This inconsistency, he suggested, would be rectified if public libraries were allowed to open on Sundays, providing more individuals with free access to cultural and educational opportunities. In North Rhine-Westphalia, a court ruling in June upheld the right of public libraries to operate on Sundays and public holidays, overruling a state ordinance that had previously barred such operations.
Source: www.stern.de
