Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Libraries topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Franklin County proclaims National Library Week; library director cites two‑thirds county funding and rising use
Summary
The county commissioners proclaimed April 6–12, 2025 National Library Week and heard statistics from the Franklin County Public Library system on circulation, programs and services; the library director said about two‑thirds of library funding comes from the county and that a dedicated library tax averages about $23 per resident per year.
Franklin County commissioners proclaimed April 6–12, 2025 as Franklin County Public Library Week and received an update from the county library system on usage, programs and funding.
Andrew Vickers, executive director of the Franklin County Public Library, told commissioners that the county funds about two‑thirds of the library system’s budget and that a dedicated library tax costs the typical taxpayer roughly $23 per year. The system serves five library branches plus outreach, Vickers said.
Vickers presented 2024 usage figures: roughly 232,000 print books checked out (about 138,000 of those were children’s books), about 65,000 e‑books and audiobooks circulated through online platforms, more than 184,000 in‑person visits and roughly 4,001 new library cards issued in 2024. He said the system ran about 1,790 programs in 2024 spanning story times, STEM activities, language classes, computer help, and age‑range offerings from infants through older adults.
Vickers also described community partnerships: a WellSpan mammography mobile that visits quarterly, a passports office at the Baysour Library, and collaborations with Penn State Mont Alto and Wilson College that allow cardholders to borrow from those institutions. He said the library partners with Franklin‑Fulton Drug and Alcohol to distribute testing strips, xylazine wound kits and Narcan.
Patriot Federal Credit Union presented a donation to the library system during the meeting; a Patriot representative noted the bank’s multi‑year support and said the annual appeal will kick off this week. The commissioners accepted the proclamation by voice vote and posed for photos with library staff and supporters.
Why it matters: The presentation gave commissioners a snapshot of library use and community services funded in part by county tax revenues, and emphasized the library’s role in literacy, workforce support and community health partnerships.
Next steps: Vickers said the library’s 2025 fundraising campaign launches this week and invited community support for programs and services.
Quote: “Two thirds of our funding actually comes from the county,” Vickers told the board, describing the combination of county support and a dedicated library tax that underwrites system operations.
