Hooksett Library to Cut Weeknight Hours, Says Trustees to Council

Sandra Mack, chair of the Hooksett Library Board of Trustees, told the Hooksett Town Council on Thursday that the library’s proposed operating budget is 5% higher than last year but “32 less than what we requested last year” (amount not specified in the transcript). To meet the bottom line during a second consecutive default budget, trustees said they reduced staff hours, shortening public access hours and trimming several line items.

“The most significant line in our budget… in order to meet the bottom line of our budget this year, we had to reduce hours,” Mack said, adding that the library will now close at 7 p.m. instead of 8 p.m., reducing open hours by 11 hours per week.

The trustees described other adjustments they made to limit taxpayer impact while sustaining core services. The board reduced the information-technology hardware line by shifting to laptops and docking stations for staff, trimmed office and library supplies,…