Law libraries in New London Superior Court and other courts throughout the state are cutting back their hours starting Sept. 1 due to budget constraints.

The library at the Huntington Street courthouse in New London will be closed on Thursdays, when librarian Peter Jenkins will be staffing the library at the Putnam Courthouse.

Deidre McPadden, director of judge support services for the Judicial Branch, said seven of the 12 law libraries in state courthouses will be open four days a week. She said two law librarians retired recently, bringing the number of full-time librarians to 14 along with one part-timer. Some of the libraries need at least three staff members, she said, and at one time the state had 27 full-time librarians.

The libraries, which are open to the public and legal community, have collections of print and digital publications and provide assistance to those conducting research on legal matters.

The Judicial Branch has been paring down its facilities, staff and services, having reduced its budget $77 million, to $499 million at the beginning of the current fiscal year. In addition to the New London law library, those in Hartford, Litchfield, New Britain, Putnam, Rockville and Waterbury will be open four days a week. Some had already been operating on a four-day schedule, McPadden said.

The library at the Willimantic courthouse closed recently in advance of the courthouse’s anticipated closing at the end of the year.

“This decision was made with great reluctance and careful consideration of our operations statewide,” McPadden said Wednesday in a phone interview. “The last thing we ever want to do is close our law libraries.”

The library in Stamford, which will remain open five days a week, is historically the busiest in the state, she said. New London County had two law libraries for years, but the library at the Norwich courthouse, along with one in Milford, closed in 2010 amid budget constraints.

The reductions come at a time when demand for library services is increasing, according to McPadden. The courts have seen a dramatic rise in recent years of pro se litigants — people who choose to represent themselves rather than hiring a lawyer. Many of them rely on the libraries and staff for assistance with research.

In addition to foot traffic, the librarians respond to telephone and email inquiries, usually within a day of receiving them, McPadden said. Information about the libraries is available at www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib.