How Do I?

Book and Materials Questions

3 Days: Museum passes (1 pass per household at a time)

1 Week: DVDs (adults only)

2 Weeks: New fiction and nonfiction books, magazines, adult nonfiction DVDs, and Kindles

3 Weeks: All non-new books, all CDs, all audiobooks

4 Weeks: Book Club in a Bag Kits

All DVDs accrue a $1.00 late fine per movie per day with a maximum fine of $10.00 per DVD. Museum passes and Kindles accrue a $2.00 late fine per day. Books, CDs, and Audiobooks do not accrue fines if checked out from the Southbury Public Library.

You can renew a material three different ways:

  1. In person at any circulation desk
  2. Online with your card number by accessing your account.
    1. Log in to your account and then click on the menu item “Items Checked Out.” There, you will find a list of the items you currently have checked out, their due dates, and how many renewals they have left. To renew, select the boxes to the left of the titles you would like to renew and click “Go.” If the items renewed successfully, you will see the due date and number of renewals left have been updated accordingly.
  3. Give us a call at 203-262-0626.

All books, CDs, audiobooks, and non-new DVDs can be renewed as long as no one else has a hold on them for up to 2 renewals. New DVDs cannot be renewed.

Library Cards and Accounts Questions

You need to be 5 years or older to get a library card from the Southbury Public Library.

Only Southbury residents can get a library card in Southbury. To get a library card, we need proof of Southbury residency. Proof can be anything with your name and address on it, such as a bill, piece of mail, or lease agreement. For children who don’t have proof of residency, we need proof of residency from one of their parents or legal guardians. If you don’t live in Southbury, you can borrow materials with a valid library from your hometown library. Once you get a card from your home library, you can register it with us.

Absolutely! Anyone is welcome in our programs. Some programs may require you to sign up, but they are open to residents of any town. To borrow things, you would just use your valid hometown Connecticut library card. If your hometown library is not a part of the Bibliomation network, it will just take us a few minutes to add your card to our computer system and then you are all set to check items out.

That depends on the type of material! For more information, visit our eBooks and More page or stop by our Reference Desk in person. For all digital materials, you’ll need to have your library card on hand to access the materials in question. If you need help trying to access our digital resources, please visit our Reference Department and we can help troubleshoot any problems you may be having.

Services Questions

We have public computers and a public printer, copier, scanner, and outgoing fax machine. For more information, visit our computers page and our Print-Copy-Scan-Fax page.

Events, Programs, and Meeting Rooms

Our programs are always free for patrons of any town to attend. The costs and fees we may pay to presenters or for materials are usually sponsored by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library; none of our programming budget comes from the town’s tax budget.

For events requiring registration, you can register online through our calendar, in person at the library, or by phone. For adult events, call 203-262-0626 x130. For children’s and teen events, call 203-262-0626 x3.

You can register online here, or you can fill out a paper form in person. To fill out a paper form or check on the status of a room reservation, please visit our Reference Desk. Our meeting rooms can only be reserved by non-profits or community service organizations located in Southbury or serving the Southbury community. Access to the rooms is first come, first served with library programs and the Registrar of Voters taking precedence. No fees can be charged for attendance of programs held in in a library room, and there is no private use of the rooms. For more information, please see our Meeting Room Use Policy.

Donation Opportunities FAQ

On Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00am-11:30am, donations may be dropped off to the library at the rear, lower level doors of the building (drive around to the rear of the library and look for a set of double doors across from the dumpsters).

Small materials donations (less than two boxes or bags only) can also be brought to the main circulation desk on the first floor.

For larger donations, our Friends of the Southbury Public Library volunteer group is happy to pick them up directly or arrange to meet you at the library. Please contact John at (203) 525-0199 to arrange a pick up. For more information about our Materials Donation Policy, please see here.

Monetary donations enable us to provide and enhance services above and beyond what we can typically offer and are greatly appreciated by the Southbury Public Library staff and board. If you’re interested in making a memorial or honorary contribution, please speak to our Head Librarian Heather Aronson at 203-262-0626 x140 or at haronson@biblio.org.

For adults interested in volunteering, we have individual volunteer opportunities available along with membership in our Friends of the Southbury Public Library group. In addition to funding most of our programing, our wonderful Friends group is also responsible for their annual basement book sale. Find out more about them here.