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Delaware County library system reports strong summer engagement, warns of $532,000 state funding delay
Summary
At a DCL Board of Directors meeting, staff reported large increases in summer reading participation and outlined upcoming state and county funding deadlines; board approved minutes and the July financial report, and staff warned that about $532,000 in district funds remains unpaid as the Pennsylvania state budget remains unsettled.
The DCL Board of Directors received updates on summer programs, upcoming state and county funding deadlines, and the system's strategic planning at its meeting. Board members approved minutes from June 26, 2025, and the July 2025 financial report; staff told the board that about $532,000 in district funds has not been paid because the Pennsylvania state budget has not been passed.
Kit, the district consultant filling in for Annie Lappley, told the board that September is Library Card Sign-Up Month and that DCL will host sign-up events at local colleges, senior centers and the government center, supported by a social media campaign. Kit also reported large year-over-year growth for the Beanstack summer reading platform: about 681 active readers this year versus 408 last year, 724,663 minutes read versus 326,719 last year, and more than 150% growth in badges earned.
The summer metrics were presented as systemwide totals; Kit said the youth services staff can provide library-level breakdowns. Kit also described two ongoing Beanstack challenges: “Join Benny the Bean” through Sept. 20 and the “Delco Falls Into Reading Challenge” from Sept. 21 through Dec. 20.
On administrative deadlines, staff urged libraries to submit their SALSA (State Aid Library subsidy application) forms by Aug. 24 to allow the systemwide submission. Kit said the Office of Commonwealth Libraries is conducting rolling reviews and some applications are already approved while others remain locked awaiting completion. The county aid signature page is due Aug. 28; libraries that submit by that date can expect distributions in the county check run on Sept. 12, staff said. Kit also noted that a small number of member libraries have informed the system they will not complete a SALSA this year because their financial reports are not ready.
Board members discussed the unsettled Pennsylvania state budget. Kit told the board that the district is awaiting approximately $532,000 in district funds tied to the state budget and that, as of the meeting, the system has not seen those payments. Staff said most district expenses occur in the second half of the fiscal year, so there were not immediate service impacts reported at the meeting.
Staff reminded the board that all libraries must submit their Pennsylvania Summer Library Program impact reports by 5 p.m. on Sept. 19; those reports document local summer programming and feed state-level metrics. Kit also provided a brief update on the municipal funding report prepared by DCL to determine local funding qualifiers used in the county aid formula, and announced that the 2026 Legislative Breakfast will be held March 6, 2026, at the Middletown Free Library.
Votes at the meeting were procedural: a motion to approve the minutes from June 26, 2025, was moved and seconded and carried with one abstention (a board member stated they were not present at that meeting). A motion to approve the July 2025 financial report was moved, seconded and carried.
The board recorded no additional committee reports or new business. The next DCL Board of Directors meeting was announced for Oct. 16, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.
