Adamstown Area Library warns passport service may end, asks townships for 25¢ per-capita boost

Hope Schmidz, vice president of the Adamstown Area Library board, told the East Cocalico Township Board of Supervisors on Oct. 16 that the library has recovered circulation and visitor levels since the COVID pandemic and is serving residents who rely on electronic access and public Wi‑Fi.

Schmidz described how digital services such as the Libby app helped a third‑grade patron with cerebral palsy read independently and said the library’s circulation and visitor counts now exceed pre‑COVID figures. She said the library has achieved gold‑star status in the PA Forward program, which recognizes libraries that integrate five core literacies into programming.

The main concern Schmidz raised was funding: she said state support has declined and municipal support, grants and fundraising now make up more than half the library’s operating budget. She told supervisors the library recently earned significant revenue from serving as a passport acceptance facility in 2024 and that a notice from the Department of State’s passport office suggests that libraries may be asked to stop serving in that role. "We have not yet been approached directly at our library but other libraries have," she said, adding that the library recorded passport income in 2024 and is budgeting assuming that stream could be reduced or end.

To offset uncertain state and passport revenues, Schmidz asked each municipality in the library’s five‑municipality service area to increase its municipal per‑capita contribution by 25 cents for 2026 as a first step toward the library’s longer‑term goal of $5 per capita by 2028. "For 2026, we are asking respectfully for a 25 cent per capita increase," she said.

Schmidz also outlined operational constraints: under Commonwealth requirements the library must be open a minimum number of hours and maintain staffing levels. "We are mandated to be open 26 hours Monday through Friday and 6 hours on the weekend and have a minimum of seven full‑time equivalent staff," she said, adding those mandates limit staffing flexibility.

Supervisors asked for data breakdowns — including how much of circulation is e‑content versus physical checkouts and the library’s visitor counts — and Schmidz said the library can provide those details. She also said the library will plan for the possible loss of passport revenue and is exploring an endowment and other sustainability measures.

The presentation closed with supervisors thanking the library for its services and asking staff to follow up on any specific data requests.