Rochester Public Library (RPL) is encouraging longer visits this summer. The library is experimenting with parking validations and offering an additional 60 minutes of free parking, starting June 1.
The 2025 Library Master Plan recommended the library conduct a pilot program to offer an additional hour of free parking in the Civic Center Ramp (above the current 1 free hour) as a way to determine if an ongoing parking validation program would improve library access.
“We're intentionally starting with this pilot project because it’s the easiest one to implement out of the master plan recommendations,” says Karen Lemke, Library Director at RPL. “During the master plan study, community members were very vocal about the need for greater access to the library, including parking access.”
To receive an additional 60 minutes of free parking in the Civic Center Ramp, visitors will bring a parking entry ticket and library card to the front public service desk to check out a validation. A validation sticker will then be applied to the entry ticket, which is scanned on exit for an additional 60 minutes of parking (a $3 value).
This parking pilot has been fully funded by the support from the Rochester Public Library Foundation and the Friends of the Rochester Public Library. For more information about the parking validation program, visit
rplmn.org/parking
