ELIZABETHTOWN PUBLIC LIBRARY PRESS RELEASE - for immediate release

December 28, 2015

Contact: Deborah Drury, v. 717-367-7467, ext. 22; m. (717) 842.0464; ddrury@etownpubliclibrary.org
Library Responds to No State Budget
Elizabethtown Public Library will be reducing operating hours beginning in January 2016 in response to no
budget for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Beginning in January, Elizabethtown Public Librarys hours will be: Monday noon - 8:00 pm; Tuesday &
Thursday 9:00 am - 8:00 pm; Wednesday & Friday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm; and Saturday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
(Labor Day - Memorial Day). The Library is closed on Sunday.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will be entering the seventh month with no budget in January 2016.
Elizabethtown Public Library operates on a calendar year and was holding on to hope that the state budget
would be passed in time for the Library to begin the New Year with a balanced budget. Without a state budget,
the Library will be operating the beginning of 2016 without a budget in place. An interest free loan will help
with operating costs until state funds become available.
Since 2008 Elizabethtown Public Library has received cut after cut in state funding and cannot afford to lose
any more. The annual impact to the Librarys budget is more than $100,000. Combine this with the increased
cost of operations and continual increase in demand for services. It is easy to see that the funding challenges
are very painful.
Elizabethtown Public Library is very much like other Libraries in Lancaster County and around Pennsylvania.
As an independent 501 (c) (3) community benefit organization we rely on several different streams to make our
annual budget. We receive funding from the state and local municipalities including Lancaster County.
Together, this makes up less than half of the Librarys annual budget.
More than half of the Librarys annual budget comes from earned revenues and donations. The Library
generates revenues through Elizabethtown Coffee Company, a coffee shop inside the Library. We also generate
income through our passport acceptance services, fingerprinting for background checks, traditional Library
related fines & fees, and more.
Fundraising activities are conducted throughout the year. Taste of Western Lancaster County is an example of
one fundraising event that takes place with a community partner. The Elizabethtown Rotary Club partners with
the Library on the first Friday of February to hold a community celebration of fine food, beverage and
fellowship (tickets are on sale now). The Library and Rotary split the proceeds equally. The Library holds
several other events and an annual fund-drive to support Library operations throughout the year. All
contributions to the Library are tax-exempt according to IRS regulations.
Elizabethtown Public Library has increased our efforts in generating and raising funds every year and we
simply cannot keep up with the loss and uncertainty of funding.
More than 60% of people in the Greater Elizabethtown Area have active Library cards. The holders of these
cards use them for everything from computer access to borrowing books and electronic resources. The Library
is here to help every person in our community reach their highest potential and achieve their grandest goals.
We do not set a persons goals, nor do we set limits on what potential a person may have. We stand beside all
people regardless of how much or little they earn, life experiences and choices, ability or disability, and so on.
We are here to promote freedom of speech, freedom of the press and our great privilege to carve our own path
in this free society. Public Libraries are not a convenience in a free society. Public Libraries are a necessity to
pursue a free and democratic society.
For more information email information@etownpubliclibrary.org or call (717) 367-7467. Elizabethtown Public
Library is located at 10 South Market Street, just off the square in Elizabethtown.