Public Library Will No Longer Be Open Sundays

Beginning this weekend the will no longer be open on Sundays.

Library director Mimi Hui says the library board of trustees made the difficult decision this past week to close the library on Sundays in order to make up for a $22,000 deficit in the library’s budget due to increases in healthcare costs. Beginning Oct. 16 the library will no longer have Sunday hours.

She explained the library had to find the money within the budget it has been given for this year to make up for this deficit. The board of trustees worked to find other ways but unfortunately this was the only option, she said. 

Hui said the town has always been supportive of the library and this was a difficult decision to make but tough decisions have to be made during difficult economic times. She called it a heart breaking decision as the library is there to help the community with economic recovery and sadly economic woes have affected the library as well.

With the exception of the summer months when the library is closed Saturday and Sunday, the library was normally open from 12 to 4 p.m. on Sundays and was staffed by about five employees, three who only worked on Sunday and two who also work week day hours, Hui explained.

Hopefully the library will be able to return to Sunday hours in 2012 provided they can find a way in next year’s budget, she said.

Although the library was only open for four hours on Sunday, statistics compare to a regular weekday as far as circulation numbers go Hui said and she believes that circulation numbers will likely go down for the remainder of the year as a result.