Can you believe we are looking at the coming of fall? There is talk of kids going back to school, of football games starting up again, and of course Fair Week in September. Change is a part of life and here at the library you will see some changes beginning in September. First, our public hours will be changing slightly. If you recall, library hours were changed due to the pandemic and we are excited to extend evening hours during the week–specifically for students needing our facility and resources for school work. We will also be extending our hours on Saturday and shortening them slightly on Friday to make things more consistent. Beginning in September, our new public hours will be: Monday-Thursday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM; Friday & Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Another major change you will see in September is the return of limited overdue fines for certain types of materials at $.10/day. If you recall, the library went fine-free in 2020 due to the pandemic. The reasons for the return to limited overdue fines are twofold. First, prior to the pandemic, overdue fines made up over $20,000 of our operating budget. This was money we could count on each and every year. That translates into new books and movies for the library and services and programs for the community. Frankly, overdue fine revenue will help us buy more new books, movies, and other materials. Second, overdue fines will only be placed on new adult materials, Interlibrary Loan materials, and mobile hotspots. There will be no fines on children’s library cards, nor fines on older items in the adult, teen, and children’s collections. As you well know, there is great demand for the latest and greatest titles–especially with bestselling authors or Hollywood blockbuster films. This will encourage borrowers to return new items promptly so they are available–at no cost, of course–for the next patron.
Change is not always fun so please let me know if you have any questions about the changes coming in September. The library remains committed to providing as many materials, resources, services, and programs as possible to the community at no cost.. Please know that any revenue from our limited overdue fines will be reinvested into the library so that we can continue to offer a plentiful, strong, and diverse collection for the community. Thank you and have a good rest of your summer!
– Jim Gill, Director