The LuLac Edition #5, 494, November 12th, 2025

 

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

Our “Write on Wednesday” logo.

This week we share a very import an important letter about libraries. They have been the lifeblood od a community and are frequently used by all ages. In this changing world of technology, libraries have kept up. But to continue ids mission  to inform and educator and remain competitive, there must be better funding mechanism for the future.  

Our neighbors  to the north, Canada have the right idea. The city of Toronto has invested 8 million dollars in the 29 branches in the the city and surrounding areas. Imagine if our state and local entities would give a fraction of that.

We invest in athletic compounds for sport,  building and road projects but we forget about the mind, the extended learning that through the  library patron, makes usc a better community.

Here is the case for more funding for libraries.

 

THE FUTURE OF LIBRARIES 

DEPENDS ON YOU  

 Editor: 

When Issac Osterhout  bequeathed a public library after his passing, he envisioned not only a namesake institution but a “free” library that was open to all. At the time, libraries often required membership dues, limiting access to the privileged few. The Osterhout Free Library, which opened in 1889, fulfilled Isaac’s vision of a people’s university, where anyone could seek knowledge to improve their lives. That mission remains the heart of our work today.

Over time, libraries became so vital to an informed population, that Pennsylvania enacted laws and programs to help promote their success. Right now, many local services have been curtailed due to the continuing state budget delay and federal funding volatility. The ongoing state budget impasse is directly affecting our library, as well as libraries across the Commonwealth.

Many residents may not realize that the Wilkes-Barre Library District is one of 29 Library Districts statewide. Library Districts exist to strengthen smaller libraries by providing shared resources and infrastructure. In Luzerne County, the District funds the platform for e-books, downloadable audiobooks, digital magazines, supports research databases, and operates a daily delivery service that circulates nearly 150,000 items annually.

Library Districts are funded as part of the state library subsidy that has been unfunded since the budget year ended on July 1. The Osterhout serves as Headquarters for the Wilkes-Barre Library District, as well as the Luzerne County Library System, and has been subsidizing the district since July. Suspending services would underscore the severity of the budget crisis for the public. However, many contracts are multi-year agreements designed to secure long-term savings. Terminating them prematurely would void locked-in discounts and make restarting prohibitively expensive. The reality is that cuts may have to be made but should a new budget include level funding, some services would almost certainly be lost.

Library Crisis

The Osterhout Library faces funding challenges due to state budget delays, risking vital services and resources.

Libraries in Pennsylvania are suffering from decreased government support, affecting community access to knowledge.

Public libraries rely heavily on local funding, but many are struggling with financial sustainability and support.

It is important to understand how libraries are organized and funded in Pennsylvania. The vast majority are nonprofits that rely on local support and fundraising to survive. As previously mentioned, there are a series of laws and regulations that govern public libraries. Few significant revisions have been made since adoption in the 1960’s. Decades ago it was determined that libraries must spend a minimum of five dollars per person to offer basic library service and to qualify for state aid. There are several other standards, such as hours open and collection purchases, in order to qualify for state aid. We are also required to maintain local effort to qualify for support.

State funds were designed to enhance local libraries not to replace local funding therefore, local governments were empowered to make appropriations that support local library services. Those with greater local support were rewarded with greater state funds. Unfortunately, government support, especially at the local level, has lagged. This makes timely payment of state aid vitally important to the Osterhout and countless other libraries.

Since 2010, The Osterhout Free Library has seen significant decreases in government funding. For example, State aid fell $75,000. Fifteen years ago, the Osterhout’s local government income included a total of $90,000 from the City of Wilkes-Barre and $73,000 from Wilkes-Barre Area School District. Today, we receive a steady $10,000 from the city and sporadically $10,000 from the school, even though most buildings in the school district no longer contain school libraries.

Luzerne County has remained relatively dependable. Even so, our county is consistently near the bottom of third-class counties, only Westmoreland County allocates less. Then, ten libraries of the Luzerne County Library System shared $1.2 Million. While Luzerne County allocates just under $1 million annually to its libraries today, we fare quite poorly in comparison. Chester County provides the most of all third-class counties with support of nearly $8 million, and neighboring Lackawanna County provides over $4.5 million. These disparities reflect broader inequities in local support.

A recent public opinion survey conducted by the state found that 93% of adults agree the library is a trusted source of information, 96% believe that libraries serve a legitimate purpose, and 76% would like to see more digital resources at public libraries. Perhaps most encouraging, 91% of Pennsylvanians support using public tax dollars to fund libraries.

The cumulative impact of recurring state budgets being late and the lack of local support has required libraries to draw down any reserves in recent budget delays and some even take out loans. Many of us are in a constant state of fundraising. This not a dependable solution to maintain your public libraries. The already weakened financial status of libraries is creating significant concern about the sustainability of public libraries. Should the state budget deadlock continue much longer, state aid to public libraries will almost certainly be delayed beyond the normal distribution time in January. If that happens, there will be some very difficult choices for public libraries across the commonwealth.

There was not always an Osterhout Free Library. Nor was there always a Luzerne County Library System or a statewide network of public libraries. Free access to information is not guaranteed, but our communities thrive when it exists. We should not take public libraries for granted. Their future depends on our collective support and especially of those elected to serve the grater good.

 

Richard Miller

Executive Director, Osterhout Free Library

System & District Administrator, Luzerne County Library System & Wilkes-Barre Library District