BRADFORD COUNTY, Pa. — A library advisory committee formed by the commissioners of Bradford County is up and running. The committee's job is to help decide the fate of the county's public library located near Troy. So far, the committee has held two private meetings, but folks are questioning why they were not allowed to attend.
"The library is a community space. The community deserves to have an opportunity to speak about the resources we offer to everyone in the community," said Rebecca Troup-Hodgdon, the executive director at the county library.
"A committee is helping making this decision for the county, so we should know what is happening," said Susanna Seibert of Towanda.
Commissioners claim the library is not utilized enough to justify its current budget. But library goers disagree.
The Bradford County library had a budget of $455,000 for 2023. That makes up one-half of one percent of the county's overall $83 million budget.
"The answer is so obvious," Seibert stated. "The library is functioning and is here providing these services. So, I don't know why there is a committee in the first place."
If the library were to close, the proposed plan would be to split up the county library's funding and give it to the eight smaller libraries in the county.
"The trustees at the Monroeton Public Library have released a statement of solidarity with this library and all the other libraries," said Karen Troup.
Karen Troup is the executive director at the Monroeton Library and also a family member of the director at the county library. She is against the idea of closing the library.
"I come here when I have a specific request for an inter-library loan, a rare book that may be very hard to find," she added.
The county library is hosting an open house on Saturday, November 4th. Library officials urge all county citizens to stop by and ask questions.
"About our budget, youth statistics, what kinds of things we offer in our collection, and what is available," said Troup-Hodgdon. "The library is an open book. We have nothing to hide and everything to offer."
The Open House will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.