Southbury Public Library

About the Library

The Southbury Public Library was built in 1969 when community needs outgrew the long-used South Britain building. An addition was added to the present Main Street building in 1979. The library is a department of the Town of Southbury, with its own 9-member Board of Directors who oversee library policies and performance. Its mission is to provide an accessible and attractive central source of information, recreation and education for the town of Southbury.

The library joined Bibliomation, a computer network of 40 member libraries, in 1986. As a member, the library has a computerized public access catalog (PAC) and Kid’s Cat, through Horizon. The library also subscribes to a number of on-line databases, many of which are available from your home computer. Click here for access to the PAC.

The Library has two photocopiers situated in the Reference Department and one photocopier on the second floor in the Children's Department. The cost is 10 cents per copy. There is one typewriter for public use located in the Reference area. Internet access is available at eleven workstations in the Reference area. Use is limited to one hour. Word processing is also available.

The staff of the library consists of 8 full-time and 12 part-time staff members who join the Head Librarian, Shirley Thorson. There is a full-time Children’s Librarian/Assistant Head Librarian, a full-time Teen Librarian and a full-time Reference Librarian; assisted by both full and part-time staff members.

The Library has a collection of more that 90,000 volumes, and electronic access to the holdings of 300 Connecticut libraries throughout the state via reQuest. We also have an extensive collection of books in Large Print. The Library subscribes to approximately 130 magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Hartford Courant, and The Boston Globe. For information about loan periods, click here.

The Library has an extensive collection of talking books as well as music compact discs. We also belong to an audio circuit that provides a rotating collection of talking books that changes every three months. The Library also has a large collection of videocassettes and DVDs, containing general entertainment and educational videos. We belong to two video circuits that offer new titles each month.

The Library does not charge fines for overdue books, however we do have Conscience box. There is a $2 per day per film charge for overdue videos.

Southbury Library cards are available to residents 5 years old or older with proof of residency. Parents or guardians are responsible for their children’s choice of reading material. Non-residents may use their valid library card from their home town. If you forget your library card, proof of identification, like a driver’s license, will be accepted. Southbury Library cards expire every three years from the date of issue. To update your card, just bring it to the Circulation Desk. The charge to replace a lost card is $5.00

Friends of the Library

The Friends of the Southbury Public Library exists to foster closer relations between the Library and the community, to encourage full use of Library facilities, to provide financial support for special equipment, programs and projects, to provide volunteer help for the Library and to serve as an advocacy group for the Library. Meetings are held quarterly and a newsletter is published quarterly.

Make check payable to Friends of the Southbury Public Library. Contributions are tax deductible. We urge you to become a Friend