By Courtney Anderson
With less money coming in from Sharon city government, the Community Library of the Shenango Valley needs help from citizens to keep the doors open and programs running.
“The library provides a vital link to worlds near and far for thousands of people in our area,” reads a letter from the library board of trustees signed by secretary Jane Sham.
The trustees have kicked off a three-year pledge drive to try and raise money to help run the library, which became a private, non-profit organization in March 2007. Private donations make up 25 percent of the library’s budget.
“We need to rely on people who believe in the library,” said trustee Stella Perrine.
“The reason I’m involved and the reason I think it’s so important is to me a library is a place where people can help themselves,” she said.
She said many use the library’s resources to look for jobs, college information or just to learn about the world. A lot of people in the community don’t have the money to go to the bookstore and buy books or would just rather share them, Mrs. Perrine said.
Parents bring their children to the library for books, programs or to use the computers. Parents of children stationed overseas with the military use the public Internet access to communicate with their loved ones. Elderly people with failing eyesight use the many audiobooks available at the library.
It is home to the Mercer County Genealogical Society, which meets every week and helps people search their family histories.
The library houses a grantmaker database for area non-profits and others to search for funding for their organizations. And it offers DVDs, videos, music CDs and books for cardholders to borrow for free.
In one month this year, 9,653 patrons passed through the library doors and checked out 5,899 items, according to the letter. During the same month, 22 programs were offered for a variety of interests and ages.
Programs range from one where children practice their reading skills by reading aloud to trained therapy dogs to weekly book discussion and writers groups and a chess club.
“We are doing a lot of things,” library director Amy Geisinger said, adding that they’re revamping the library Web site and trying to expand outreach programs. “We’re a building that has all the books, but we’re so much more.”
Trustees recently mailed out 1,000 letters to past donors seeking their support, Mrs. Perrine said. Because the library has to pay for postage, they weren’t able to send mailings to everyone in the valley.
The hope is that if the drive gets enough support during the three-year window, then the library can build a donor base and buy time to look for grants to help fund operations and programs, Mrs. Perrine said.
Income for the library is down almost $150,000 since 2006, but the staff and trustees have maintained the same and even better service while reducing expenses by 18 percent.
Earlier this year, library expenses were projected to outpace revenue by about $50,000 for the year.
The library received $100,000 from both Sharon and Hermitage in 2008. Hermitage’s donation was an increase of $15,000 over 2006 while Sharon’s financial woes led to them cutting their subsidy by $140,000 in that same period.
The library relies on private contributions, endowments and local and state government support to survive. Government funding is not enough and Pennsylvania bases its funding to public libraries on community support.
For 38 years, the library has also received help from the Friends of the Library organization which for the past few years has held bi-annual used book sales to benefit the library. The next one is Oct. 22 through 25 in the library basement.
The cooperation between Sharon and Hermitage in funding the library is something to be proud of, Mrs. Perrine said.
Mrs. Perrine said the trustees are also exploring if a countywide library system would help all of the libraries in Mercer County, but the process takes time.
The valley’s library began with one in the F.H. Buhl Club in 1903 and the Sharon Free Public Library was established in 1923, according to research by trustee Tom Rookey, Mrs. Perrine said.
During the Great Depression, library usage increased and the library cooperated in the national defense effort during World War II through a variety of projects.
The current library was built in 1970 with a $100,000 donation by George Henderson for the land. It was renamed the Buhl Henderson Community Library the following year.
In 1981, library hours and services were reduced as Sharon decreased funding. A deficit led to fewer hours and services again in 1991. The first changes to state library funding in 40 years led to significant improvements in library service in 2000.
“The very existence of our library means that our community values education and access to lifelong learning for all of its citizens,” Mrs. Sham’s letter states.
Pledge cards to make a tax-deductible donation are available at the library, 11 N. Sharpsville Ave., Sharon. For more information, call 724-981-4360
