On Thursday evening, March 11, about 30 community residents gathered at the Lancaster Public Library to discuss library service in Lancaster County and to share their ideas for its improvement. The gathering was one of a series of town hall meetings called by the County-appointed libraries task force, in an effort to collect the community’s insights during their final months of research. And one insight came through loud and clear: The need to solicit grassroots, popular support for county libraries.
The task force was appointed last fall by the Lancaster County board of commissioners to take an objective look at the funding and administration of area libraries. The group’s seven members represent a broad spectrum of library leadership, including larger libraries, smaller borough and township libraries, and the Library System. Only two members—Diane Rice of the System and John McGrann of LPL board—were present at Thursday’s meeting.
One man in attendance suggested that library officials work to alter the public’s perception of these institutions. With tens of thousands of cardholders countywide, the man argued, libraries are an integral part of public education efforts. But most people do not see this critical role, he said.
The man further noted that, on a given weekday, there are likely more people bustling through the Lancaster Public Library than there are in the Lancaster County Convention Center. In a city billing itself as a sophisticated destination for the arts and education, he said, such meager financial support for our library is senseless.
A home-schooling mother noted that, for families such as hers, the public library is the only library their students ever know. The home-schooling community, she said, is one that would not only benefit from more targeted programs but could also become a great asset to the county’s libraries by way of support and advocacy.
Library System administrator Susan Hauer added that Lancaster County contains more home-schooling families than any other county in Pennsylvania.
Warren Anderson, former owner of Chestnut Street Books, recommended that the county’s libraries make a strong case for how library funding can concretely benefit the community. It may be provocative to note that Lancaster’s libraries receive far less than in other counties, he asserted, but no politician would increase spending in any area without having the public convinced of its worth.
A report distributed at the meeting did note that, while Lancaster libraries recently received a $4.89 per capita County appropriation, Adams, Cumberland, and Chester Counties received more than double that amount. Dauphin’s allocation was over three times as much, at $16.22.
The discussion of public engagement ultimately pointed to the primary objective of driving our state and local elected officials to direct a more generous allocation to libraries in Lancaster County. As one man put it, the only way to get the attention of such leaders is to generate a “groundswell” of public support.
Other ideas proposed by members of the audience included:
- Advocating for a per capita library tax, rather than the earlier proposal based on millage
- Soliciting small donations from county cardholders
- Pushing for contributions from area schools, since libraries fall under the state’s department of education
- Having the libraries’ financial woes presented as clearly as local schools have in recent news reports
- Imposing a small fee on computer and premium database usage (McGrann noted that this would likely clash with the driving philosophy of public libraries to provide free access to information)
The task force members in attendance took note of all of the public’s suggestions, promising to take them into account as the task force moves toward presenting their final recommendations to the Lancaster County commissioners in June.
