By OLIVER GOOD

Staff writer

Hillsboro Public Library used to be open Saturday mornings and one hour longer on Mondays, but hours of operation were recently scaled back because of budget concerns.

“It will last maybe just until January when our funding gets renewed,” library director Cathy Fish said. “We started in September and the change will allow us to make it to the end of the year.”

She said patrons seemed to adjust to the new schedule without much trouble, but trimming hours of operation cut down on staff salary and building utility costs.

“Our funding is still at four mils — the same it has been for the last 20 years — but operating costs have gone up since then,” Fish said.

Fish and the library board have applied for numerous grants, and have done fundraising activities to help supplement increasing costs.

“Book prices have gone up tremendously,” Fish said.

She noted monthly Internet service access as another costly resource patrons expect as part of their library experience.

“We may not be able to replace the Internet if it goes out,” Fish said.

Current hours of operation are Monday 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.