Summer Kick Off

Franklin County Library System joins many other members of Healthy Communities Partnership providing youth activities and information on summer programs today from 4 - 7 p.m. Check out the library's "Own the Night" obtacle course BLINDFOLDED! Pick up a free gift to start out your summer.  The festivities will be in Waters' Park on South Second Street, Chambersburg.  Join me there.

Chambersburg First Friday Library Stand, June 1

Due to the severe weather forecast the library will NOT have a stand at Chambersburg 1st Friday event tonight, June 1. Rain and wind does not work well with books, papers and our planned children's crafts. Hope to see you at Healthy Communities Partnership Drug-Free Summer Kick-Off event in Waters Park on June 11, beginning at 4:00 p.m.

Library House Tour Needs You!

This year's home tour is too good to miss!  Join me in visiting 5 great homes and 1 beautiful garden.  Coyle and Grove Libraries need your participation to make the 2012 home tour a success.  Every dollar spent on a tour booklet goes straight to those to libraries.  This year, in particular, every fundraising dollar counts as we deal with the $250,000 per year cut the state made in our Franklin County public library funding.  Get your tourbooks right away, because quantities are limited.  Cost is $20 per person. Then enjoy the afternoon of June 3, touring the homes at your own pace.  Take a vanful and make it a party!  My family always does.

Thank you! Hope to see you there!

Home Tour 2012

I would like to invite all of you to enjoy the 2012 Home Tour to benefit Coyle Free and Grove Family Libraries on Sunday, June 3, from noon to 5:00.  Pick up a brochure at area libraries, and purchase your tour booklets for $20 each at Coyle or Grove through June 2, while supplies last.  The tour is a great adventure whether you are interested in homes or gardens, or even artwork.  With the assistance of our sponsors, all proceeds will benefit the libraries.  Thanks to Graphics Universal for supporting our event!

Fall Book Sale

With your help our fall book sale will double in size this year. We are now ready to collect and sort book donations. Our ability to handle a larger quantity is the result of a move to space at the Chambersburg Mall. The sale will be open an extra day, too, October 25-28.

You may donate up to 40 books per trip to your local library. For larger amounts, please call 709-0282 ext. 211, to arrange drop off location.

We can also use volunteers, from now until the sale, for committee work, planning, sorting, set up, sale staff, and clean up. The Mall is giving us more time do complete all these tasks, so we won't be as rushed. Please call 709-0282 ext. 209 if you are available to volunteer for any of these tasks.

Watch the Book Sale Blog for more details as plans unfold.

Celebrate Libraries!

April 8-14 is National Library Week and Franklin County Public Library Week. Thank you for supporting your local library! In a time of economic struggles, people are using our local libraries and online library services more than ever. Our number of library visits is way up, and our computer use inhouse and out has jumped. Summer reading program participation also increased in 2011.
Please watch for your annual appeal letter in the mail later this month, and support your Franklin County public library generously this year. In this time, when library customers seek broader diversity in the format of their literature and information, Pennsylvania government is looking to cut their public library subsidy by an additional 5%, which would bring the total annual cut to Franklin County library services very close to $300,000. Franklin County Library System has already tightened its belt by $250,000 a year to avoid spending funds we simply don't have. We work hard to use every dollar wisely. Please use this National Library Week, County Public Library Week, and the month of April as a whole to support your love of libraries by acting as an advocate for state library subsidy maintenance and giving what you can to fill the current gaps.
Thank you, the residents of Franklin County, for helping us to help you! Happy Library Week!

Governor's Budget Proposal Cuts Libraries, Again

If you have been wondering what is in Governor Corbett's 2012-13 PA budget proposal for public libraries, the wait is over. His proposal once again cuts funding to libraries in the commonwealth, this time by an additional 5%.

For FLCS, this means another $30,000+ chopped from our 2013 budget projection. If we had not gotten a massive cut of $250,000 per year 2 years ago, this would not be a major problem, but a cumulative loss of about 1/7 of our annual operating funds over a period of just 3 years is tragic. We have already cut and re-allocated funds and staff members to the point where many librarians our now doing 3 people's jobs.

While everyone knows money is tight everwhere, haven't we done our share of cutting already? Libraries are the only places where all people can better themselves in a bad economy. Please support the important work of libraries by advocating stable state funding to public libraries.

Thank you.