The Cerritos College library has suffered severely from the budget cuts.

Since the new budget was adopted, it has had to cut 17 hours weekly from its previous business hours.

The old hours used to run from Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“It is affecting everyone. Having to cut back on Saturday hours is affecting Friday hours,” said librarian Monica Lopez.

She added, “It is also affecting staff, faculty, and students.”

Students go into the library in search of a quiet study area, a place to gather their thoughts, and to check out textbooks when they do not have the money to buy their own.

“Students are indeed coming into the library. I’ve never seen as many students in the library as I’ve seen this semester,” said Paula Pereira, library clerk.

The daily number of students coming into the library is averages to 4,000, said Lopez.

Service lines in the library have become much longer for things like the copier and to check out textbooks.

“It has been really tough. A lot of the traffic coming are students who need help. We try to help out as much as we can and that causes us to fall behind sometimes on other library duties,” said Jean Rodriguez, journalism major. “The cuts have reduced workers on the floor and now I’m working a double shift.”

Many students look to the library as their information resource regarding class locations and other questions, he added, but later into the semester the new students will find their way around campus.

The library has also been forced to lay a worker off, and will not be hiring any time soon.

Also, as a result of cutting back hours, it will prevent any more serious layoffs for the library workers.