Easton Area Public Library tells county panel it has expanded services, adopted fine-free policy and built a regional sharing network

Jennifer Long, executive director of the Easton Area Public Library, told the Northampton County Economic Development Committee that the library serves the footprint of the Easton Area School District — about 70,000 residents — on an annual budget of $2,500,000 and with a staff of about 50.

Long said the Easton library has broadened services beyond lending books, calling out regional resource sharing, digital access, hot-spot lending and a fine-free lending policy. “Libraries just are not books anymore. They're not books on shelves anymore,” she said.

The context: Easton Area Public Library traces its origins to 1811 and occupies a Carnegie building on Sixth and Church streets. The library receives tax revenue collected by the Easton Area School District under provisions of the Pennsylvania Library Code; Long said public libraries in Pennsylvania cannot levy taxes directly and rely on partners such as school districts or municipalities for collection and passthrough.

Long described a regional sharing arrangement launched in April 2024 in which Easton and 25 other libraries in the Lehigh Valley and nearby counties share collections. The system gives patrons access to more than 1,400,000 items and uses a van, purchased with a grant from the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, to move materials between libraries. “We are the largest regional share sharing in the state. It's It's excellent. It really is,” Long said.

On borrowing policy, Long said the library became fine-free in 2022. Under the policy, the library does not charge overdue fines but will require the full replacement cost of an item and suspend borrowing privileges if items are overdue by two weeks. Long said fine revenue accounted for less than 1% of the library’s budget before the change and that the policy is intended to improve access for patrons.

Services Long highlighted include circulation of physical items such as books and DVDs, e-materials (ebooks, eaudiobooks and e‑magazines), access to newspaper databases, a hot-spot lending program (about 90 devices that circulate for one week), 42 public computers, and a branch in Palmer Township housed in the Palmer Municipal Complex. She also described the library’s Marks Room of Local History, which contains maps, directories, cemetery records and the Easton flag, an 1821 artifact Long said the library will keep in Easton for preservation.

Committee chair Jeff Warren thanked Long for the presentation and said he plans to continue highlighting library services in county outreach. “I do plan on reaching out to other libraries throughout Northampton County to talk about what they're doing,” Warren said.

Long encouraged county officials and residents to visit the Marks Room and use library databases for research and local news access. She said the regional sharing model reduced paperwork and postage, increased patron access to in‑demand items, and resulted in more than 255,000 shared-item loans among participating libraries in a recent year.

The committee did not take formal action; the presentation concluded with committee members praising the library’s programs and Long offering to provide additional information on request.