The William Leonard Public Library in Robbins reopened Monday after closing for a few days due to staffing and operational issues.
Library district officials announced the temporary closing on social media Tuesday, Sept. 15, saying they were diligently working to restore adequate staffing as soon as possible.
Library director Crystal Williams said the unexpected situation that caused the closure was that she came down with the flu and could not come in due to safety reasons and library policy requires two people working at the facility.
Williams said when she became director a year ago, she had seven staff members. As of two months ago, only she and assistant library director Jamia Clark are on staff and they have also been doing custodial work.
“The unfortunate part about it is that we don’t have any staff to rely on. There’s nobody you can call and say, ‘Hey, Dr. Williams is going to be out, or Ms. Clark is sick, so can you come in and cover?’ We don’t have that anymore,” Williams said.
Recent staffing shortages and other challenges result from Cook County’s property tax delay that has financially impacted many suburban districts by leaving them with less money than they asked for.
Williams said the inadequate staffing also has decreased the library’s hours of operations.
The library used to operate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Now, the library is only open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, she said.
Once they receive the proper funding, Williams said she hopes they will be able to return to regular hours, but that the process will be slow.
The reduction in services extends beyond Robbins because the William Leonard Public Library also serves the village of Dixmoor, which lacks a public library facility despite having its own taxing district.
The Dixmoor Public Library District, founded in 1989, initially shared services with the Harvey Public Library District but disjoined due to economic reasons. The district has been sharing services and facilities with Robbins since 2011, according to the district’s website.
“We’re basically two struggling libraries,” Williams said.
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A potential Dixmoor library location was proposed in 2016 on a vacant lot at 14501 Davis Ave. However, a citation and $750 fine was levied against acting president Denise Ruffin of Dixmoor Public Library District for attempting to hold a community meet-and-greet Sept. 24, 2022 without a permit. The event was shut down a little over an hour after it started, the Daily Southtown previously reported. The fine was later tossed out because the ticket lacked a violation date.
The district has continuously faced pushback from the Dixmoor Village Board after many attempts to receive building approval.
At Dixmoor’s Aug. 27 Village Board meeting, library secretary Arletta Evans urged the Village Board to approve construction for their own library building, according to news reports.
Charlene McFadden, a longtime Dixmoor resident and former member of the Dixmoor Village Board, said she is frustrated that she continues to pay property taxes but no library has been built.
“I just want to know, where is the money? Where is it going?” McFadden said.
McFadden, who was elected to the library district board in April 2025 but has not been officially sworn in, said she also feels as though the Robbins library location lacks easy access for Dixmoor residents.
“In the village of Dixmoor, we have to take two buses to get to the library in Robbins. The library in Harvey would be one bus or most kids could walk over there,” McFadden said. “Over here, you have to cross railroad tracks.”
McFadden said Dixmoor lacks access to books. When she and her daughters tried to go to the Harvey library, they had to pay for a library card. In Robbins, she said, the library is closed more than it is open.
Dixmoor Mayor Fitzgerald Roberts said in a written statement the reason the village does not have a library is because a community of its size cannot afford it. He also acknowledged that McFadden has not been allowed to serve on the library’s board despite being elected to it.
“Given the fact that duly elected members of the board cannot even serve, it is time to disband the board and focus our efforts on improving access to technology for our kids who are more likely to do research on their phones or their computers rather than in a physical library anyway,” Roberts said.
Officials from the Dixmoor Public Library District did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Williams said she and the William Leonard Public Library District are hopeful that the Robbins library will continue to operate and provide community services for its visitors. She said she wants to keep the library a welcoming place for all just as it has been since she started going as a child.
“We are very hopeful because I believe we are resilient people. The library has faced hardships before,” Williams said. “I’m looking for us to recover and move forward.”
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