Swampscott library cuts back on hours

SWAMPSCOTT – The public library reduced its hours this week due to mid-year budget cuts.Library Director Alyce Deveau said the library would no longer be open on Wednesday evenings due to fiscal constraints.Deveau said the Marblehead Public Library is closed Thursday evening so a decision was made to keep Swampscott open on Thursday evening.”We are closing on Wednesday evening when Marblehead is open,” she said. “That way we can stay open on Thursday evening so people have a place to go.”The cuts in the FY’09 budget were necessary due to mid year 9C budget cuts made by Gov. Deval Patrick. The General Laws require the governor to reduce spending whenever his administration determines that there will not be enough revenue to pay for the spending authorized in the budget.Due to the 9C budget cuts made by Patrick, the town lost approximately $150,000 in its funding for the current fiscal year.Deveau said the library would remain open from 9:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.”That hasn’t changed,” she said. “But we’ll only be open from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Wednesday and we’ll continue to be open from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.”Deveau said the Children’s Room, which was open until 8 p.m. on Tuesday evenings, now closes at 6 p.m. Last year the library was closed on Fridays due to fiscal constraints and Deveau said the library would continue to be closed on Fridays.”Everyone is upset we’re losing hours,” she said. “We’ll try to juggle programs around the schedule as best we can.”Deveau said the library is also looking into the possibility of organizing some future fundraisers to help supplement its operating budget.