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How PA libraries are getting by as funding dries up
As funding remains flat and patron demands expand, public libraries in Pennsylvania need more help to maintain services for the communities that rely on them.
Libraries have become not just gateways to books and the internet, but spaces for families, adults, and teens to socialize with peers. Their range of services can be surprising: Libraries variously offer educational programs, storytimes, game nights, language classes, crafting groups, exercise sessions, card clubs, and more.
But all this programming comes with costs they increasingly can’t afford. Even small libraries tend to have extensive built-in overhead, including salaries and benefits, technology, utilities, and digital materials and licenses.
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When any or all of those expenses creep up, libraries, which rely on public funding, have little recourse.
“Libraries don’t charge people for their services, so they can’t pass along their increasing costs,” said Christi Buker, executive director of the Pennsylvania Library Association. “They just need to figure out ways to spend less.”
That’s easier said than done, library officials told PA Local.
“We simply don’t have the resources or funding that our volume of services requires and deserves,” said Kaitlin Lehman, director of Bethel-Tulpehocken Public Library. “Really, we’re just doing what we can to keep our doors open.”
Located in the northwestern corner of Berks County, the bustling library is open seven days a week. Last year, according to Lehman, it supported 47,000 patron visits, loaned 160,000 physical items, and hosted nearly 600 events, despite having only one full-time employee and an annual budget of just $300,000.
“We’re always busy, so everyone thinks we’re doing great,” said Lehman. “And we are, as far as welcoming people and helping them with whatever they need. But we’re struggling to be able to continue doing that.”
Library operations and funding
About 85% of Pennsylvania’s 444 public libraries operate as independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, according to Buker. Each has a board of directors responsible for hiring a library director, overseeing operations, and assisting with fundraising.
Libraries that aren’t nonprofits are either part of a local government or another entity such as an authority, according to a report from the state Office of Commonwealth Libraries (OCL).
Municipal libraries include Mt. Lebanon Public Library in Allegheny County, which is owned and operated by Mt. Lebanon; Reading Public Library, a department of the City of Reading; and York County Libraries, which operate under a supportive county system.
Normally, the municipality that owns a library provides a substantial portion of its budget. Municipal libraries that meet requirements for funding also are eligible for state aid.
For example, according to its 2025 annual report, Mt. Lebanon Public Library received $2,068,645 from Mt. Lebanon, representing 73% of its entire budget.
For its 2026 budget, Reading Public Library got about 50% of its $3,381,315 in funding from the city and county, with another 18% from the state.
State support for libraries increased by $5 million to $75.47 million last year, but due to previous cuts, the gain only brought funding back up to 2001 levels, according to Buker.
The 2026-27 state budget, which Gov. Josh Shapiro signed into law on July 12, provides no increase to library funding.
Shelves and tables inside the State Library of Pennsylvania (The Office of Gov. Josh Shapiro / Flickr)
Nonprofit libraries depend on various sources for funding, including allocations from the municipalities they serve, some state aid, contributions from individuals and businesses, and support from Friends of the Library groups.
Some apply for and receive federal grant money, but the process can be burdensome to small libraries with limited staff.
Fundraising is important for most community libraries, sometimes generating a substantial portion of their budgets. And some supplement their budgets with revenue from meeting room rentals, printer fees, book shops, and passport services fees.
This patchwork approach results in major resource discrepancies across the state, and sometimes year over year at a single library.
Libraries funded by municipalities are at the whim of township or borough officials who decide how much to allocate. Typically, library staff will request a certain amount from each municipality within its service area and officials decide whether to grant the request.
Last year, Berks municipalities provided a total of $1.63 million to the 19 libraries that are part of the county’s system, according to Stephanie Williams, system administrator. Berks County provided roughly $1.26 million.
Adamstown Area Library in Lancaster County serves five municipalities but receives only 27% of its funding from them. It gets the remainder of its money from a combination of income from services, fundraising, and the state.
Those funding sources also can fluctuate.
Adamstown, along with about 24 other nonprofit Pennsylvania libraries, was dealt a blow in February when it was ordered by the U.S. Department of State to stop processing passports.
“It’s a significant funding loss, for sure, but it’s not only about the money,” Library Director Corrine Brumbach told Spotlight PA, saying the service brought between $30,500 and $50,775 annually. “Our being able to process passports provided a valuable service to our community, which is no longer available.”
She said demand for services is rising as the library’s income stays the same or decreases.
“It’s getting significantly more difficult to do what we do,” Brumbach said. "Until we get some more stable funding, I’ll keep losing a lot of sleep.”
Brumbach pins her hopes on a referendum that’s expected to be put to Lancaster County voters in November. If passed, it would create a new 0.55 mill tax to support the county’s libraries.
“That would be a game-changer for us because it would remove the human emotion that’s involved with funding a community library and assure we have support that’s adequate and stable,” Brumbach said. “We can’t solve our financial problems with a bake sale.”
More offerings — and need
Libraries have expanded their services significantly in recent years. In addition to book-related programming and activities for kids, an increasing number allow patrons to reserve tickets to area museums, gardens, zoos, and other attractions using their library cards. And many include a “library of things,” from which patrons can borrow occasionally used items such as a pressure washer or ice cream maker.
Some offer ESL or citizenship preparation classes.
“Libraries serve people of all ages in many capacities,” Buker said. "They have the ability to make a profound impact on communities and residents.”
An increasing number of community members have started showing up at local libraries for other kinds of assistance as well.
Chelsea Williams, director of the Hamburg Public Library, said some patrons are requesting help with locating basics like food and rent, while those struggling to afford housing ask for help filling out assistance forms. The library has also hosted dental and mammogram screenings and serves as a heating and cooling center during extreme weather.
“I’ve been working in libraries for 20 years and the needs have changed dramatically,” Williams said. People sometimes sleep overnight in their cars in the library parking lot, she added.
The Berks County Community Foundation recently initiated a program to bring social services into libraries in Bernville, Boyertown, Hamburg, and Morgantown.
Books in the Osterhout Free Library in Wilkes-Barre. (Commonwealth Media Services)
Twice a month, social or health workers visit the libraries to support community members who have medical questions and other concerns.
The foundation hopes to expand the program by partnering with area nonprofits, businesses, colleges, and universities.
“Libraries aren’t called community centers, but many serve as them,” said Susan Tracey, president of Pennsylvania Citizens for Better Libraries. “They fulfill a lot of needs that otherwise might go unmet.”
The future of Pennsylvania libraries
Despite the financial constraints libraries face, officials hope to continue meeting the changing needs of the communities they serve.
“Public libraries have become one of the few truly accessible public spaces for people to come without being expected to spend money,” said Melissa Adams, executive director of Reading Public Library. “People depend on us and we must keep growing and adapting to meet the demands of modern life.”
Just over half of Pennsylvanians are library users, according to the OCL report, and 4 million have a library card.
Stephanie Winward is one of those patrons. She and her kids, Ryder, 7, and River, 4, frequent Adamstown Area Library, participating in many of the children’s programs.
She was particularly pleased with dinosaur-themed programming offered earlier this summer.
“My kids just loved that,” she said. “It was fun for them and gave them something to do, and they learned so much. I don’t know what we’d do without the library.”
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Winward praised the facility’s variety of programming and services, including those geared toward older adults that focus on socialization, health, and computer literacy. She said she once turned to library staff for help filling out a tax form.
“I think a lot of people aren’t aware of how much libraries do,” she said. “They contribute an awful lot to a community.”
According to Williams with the Berks library network, in 2025 the 19 libraries of the county system loaned digital and print materials with a total value of about $28.5 million. That did not include the value of all the services the libraries offer, whether audiobooks, internet access, or free meeting space.
With libraries fulfilling more local needs, Adams called on residents and elected leaders to recognize them as essential institutions.
“The role of libraries will continue to expand, but to do that well, they’ll need sustainable funding, strong partnerships and the flexibility to respond to local needs,” Adams said. “Public libraries are constantly adapting to serve their communities, but that work requires consistent support from the state, county, local municipalities, and community members.”
She added: “The future of libraries is strong, but only if we invest in them.”
