The New Market Area Library will be the only library in Shenandoah County to be open on Sundays starting in June.

Treasurer Peggy Harkness says there's been an increase in patrons to the library.

"As the economy has worsened, the need for library services has gone up," says Harkness.

The idea to open on Sundays came from a few patrons and, because of the increased need at the library, the board of directors agreed.

"Circulation has more than doubled. PC usage has more than doubled and we've added since last April almost 3,000 items to our collection," says Harkness.

The need comes as more and more people, like Pat Bowman, use the library to slim down their budgets. Bowman says that before she retired, she bought countless books per year.

"When I worked, when I had some more money than I have now, I would spend, I'd say between maybe $500 to $800," says Bowman.

After she retired and needed to save money, buying 15 books at a time was not an option. Bowman says the most beneficial part of the library is that people don't have to buy the books to read them.

"Because the economy being like it is, why pay $29 for a book when you can come to the library, you read it, you bring it back, you don't have to worry about storing it, you don't have to worry about the $29 either," says Bowman.

Harkness says that because they are a 100-percent volunteer facility, the extra hours on Sunday aren't costly. They only have to pay utilities, which are low because of new green technology in the library.