Change is coming to the Tolland Public Library . With the start of the 2008-09 fiscal yearon July 1 , the library will be open for an additional six hours per week . In addition , fines for overdue books will increase , a new subscription e-mail update service will be launched , and a community needs assessment will begin , according to Barbara Butler , director of library services .

“ It is a busy time for the library . Circulation is up , attendance at programs is up , and traffic has increased . The library is a free resource that everyone in town can access , and as the [ national ] economy continues to suffer , I think that even more people will realize that , ” Butler said .

The library will now be open for 54 hours each week , returning to the hours of operation in 2007 , before a protracted town budget battle – which included five rejections by town voters – forced significant budget cuts . Butler said that she had originally proposed to the Town Council to reinstate three of the cut hours , but the council decided to restore all six .

A $ 49 . 3 million budget for fiscal year2008-09 was approved by voters at the first budget referendum on May 6 , which included $ 380 , 874 for library services , according to the town budget document .

The library will now be open from 10 a . m . - 8 p . m ., Monday - Thursday , and 10 a . m . - 5 p . m . on Friday and Saturday . The library is still closed on Sunday .

“ I am so happy that the hours have been restored . It really hurt our youngpatrons who wanted to use the facility after school hours but could not , ” said children’s librarian Ginny Brousseau .

Library fines will be increasing on July 2 from 5 cents to 15 cents per day for overdue books . Fines for overdue DVDs and videos will remain at $ 1 per day . The increase is expected to bring in an additional $ 5 , 000 per yearin revenue , according to Butler , who also said that this is the first increase in library fees in 20 years.

A new program called “ Wowbrary ” will also be beginning this month . Funded by the Friends of the Tolland Public Library , this weekly e-mail “ blast” will send information to registered recipients about books in the library’s collection . Patrons may register for the service at the library or online .

“ People will know what we have and will be able to reserve books right from their home computers , ” Butler said . She said that she thinks the evolving technology is amazing and believes that this service will put the Tolland library on the cutting edge of the future of the public library .

Finally , the library has secured a grant from the Connecticut State Libraries Association to conduct a community needs assessment , which will be the first in the Tolland library in several years, according to Butler .

“ I need to know what the public wants in their library , so this assessment will allow us to do online surveys and focus groups to allow us to find out what people want , because , after all , it is their library , ” Butler said .