Due to budget shortfalls, the Pottstown Regional Public Library will reduce its weekly operating hours, reports Evan Brandt for the Pottstown Mercury.
Starting this month, the hours will drop to the state minimum 45. The library’s board attributes this change partially to the lack of financial support from Upper and West Pottsgrove townships. Although Lower Pottsgrove meets the state-recommended contribution of $5 per resident, Upper Pottsgrove and West Pottsgrove fall short. Collectively, they are missing $49,580 in potential funding. Library Executive Director Angela Brown has appealed for increased contributions, highlighting that Upper Pottsgrove residents alone accessed library resources over 5,500 times in 2024.
In an effort to address the budget deficit, the library is also reducing janitorial and accounting costs applying for a waiver to lower its spending on new materials, and organizing fundraisers. Upcoming events include a passport fair, a “Back-Door Book Sale” on Nov. 17, participation in the National Day of Giving on Dec. 3, and a fundraising night with the Reading Royals hockey team on Dec. 14.
Organizers invite the community to help choose the library’s new hours. They hope to make the final decision at the board’s next public meeting on Nov. 19. The library’s 2025 budget will be adopted on Dec. 17, with hopes for additional support from local municipalities to sustain services in the coming year.
Read more about the Pottstown Regional Public Library’s new hours in the Mercury.
