East Penns Valley Library celebrates nine years

MILLHEIM — After nearly closing in 2013, the East Penns Valley Library reorganized and now serves the community as an independent, volunteer-run library located in the Millheim Borough Building.

“We want to get the word out more and thank the people who’ve been volunteers and donors,” said Mary Ann Knapp, a member of the Friends of the East Penns Valley Library Board. 

According to an article shared by Knapp, the library was founded by the Aaronsburg Historical Museum Association in 1967, and it was located in the former Evangelical United Brethren Church in Aaronsburg.

The Aaronsburg Library joined the Centre County Library system in 1968, and it became the East Penns Valley Branch Library in 2010 when it moved to Millheim, according to the Centre County Historical Society website.

In 2013, the branch library was scheduled to close due to cuts in state funding. Knapp said a consultant found that the branch had the least number of regular patrons among branches in the library system.

“We were the only county library that didn’t own our building,” said Betsy Forsythe, board president. “When we got word of this, we called a public meeting. I’d say there was close to 100 people that showed up,”

They decided to keep the library open as an independent nonprofit. The Friends of the East Penns Valley Board was created to manage the library. It joined the Pennsylvania Citizens for Better Libraries to obtain nonprofit status and to benefit from professional workshops and tax assistance. The current nine-member board includes a CPA, Travis Walker, as treasurer; and a Centre County Library and Historical Museum employee, Lisa Shaffer, as secretary.

Patron Tracy Lubinski said she and her child, Sophia, visit the library every two weeks.
“We come in with a big bag and fill it up. Those are our stories at night. We have taken some DVDs out,” she said. “While we’re here, she does the puzzles in the children’s area. This is a very comfortable space.

“Centre Hall is a nice library, but it’s 15 to 20 miles down the road from me,” Lubinski said. “The staff here are always helpful. If I don’t see a book here, they can see if someone else has it. They have a sale rack of books for 25 cents to a dollar, and a Facebook page so people can keep up to date on events and fundraisers.”

Knapp and Lisa Rivera, vice president of the board, said they receive books from other libraries that are culling their collections, including the Centre County Library system and West End Library in Union County.

Knapp said they were able to take advantage of a 50%-off sale through Barnes & Noble this year to make their money go further.

Rivera said, “We find new books in the book drop, new bestsellers. We’re very appreciative that we get those brand-new books that we can add. The most popular books are mysteries, Amish romances and Christian romances.”
The library offers free Wi-Fi service, computer access, books, audio books, DVDs and a book club on first Wednesdays that is open to new members.

The board holds four major fundraisers each year. The next event is the East Penns Valley Library Plant Sale. The sale will include native plants, vegetables, herbs, flowers, shrubs and trees. A date for the plant sale has not been determined.

“People raise some of them and some are from nurseries,” Forsythe said. “It’s a big sale with a nice selection.”

Additional fundraisers include a book sale at the Millheim Fire Company during Walkfest in June, and a spaghetti dinner in February. During the Dutch Fall Festival in October, the library sells books, soups, haluski and baked goods. It also participates in the Centre Gives online fundraising event for local nonprofits on May 10-11. Various other small fundraisers are held throughout the year.

For the annual Pets for Pages Contest, patrons are invited to send in their photos of pets so people can vote for their favorites with money.

“Whatever pet wins, they get to be on display all year,” Forsythe said. Previous pet contestants included chickens and a bearded lizard. 

She said that joining the Friends of the East Penns Valley Library is another way to provide support.

The library welcomes volunteers and donations, including books in good condition for the book sales and to add to the collection.

Rivera said the circulation system software was created from scratch by a member of the Friends. Two laptops and four desktop computers were donated for patron use. She said the borough is donating its internet service, and a family is cleaning the library, free of charge. Another patron helped them find a more affordable phone service.

“It’s important to have a phone,” Rivera said. “Patrons call to see if volunteers are here and the library is open, or to renew a book or check the availability of a book.”

She said the record for books checked out was 60 for an Amish teacher taking them to an Amish school.

Volunteers are needed to staff the library and to help with fundraisers and events.

“I wish we would get a volunteer to arrange something for kids,” Forsythe said.

Rivera said, “Our number one priority is volunteers to keep the library open, then to do programs and lead a fundraiser. We definitely need help. We’re not getting any younger. We have two book sales a year and would love to find a group that could move the boxes of books for us. We need young backs.”

“I’m interested in being open more hours,” Forsythe said. “But we need more volunteers.”

The library, at 225 E. Main St., is currently open Mondays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesdays, 4 to 7 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.; and Saturdays, 11 a.m.  to 3 p.m.

For more information or to volunteer, email epvlfriends@gmail.com, visit the website eastpvlibrary.wixsite.com/epvl or call (814) 349-5328 during the library’s hours of operation.