TOWANDA, Pa. — People packed into the commissioners room at the Bradford County Courthouse in Towanda to learn the fate of the Bradford County Library.
"The ultimate goal is for the library to remain open, and functional to serve the community," said interim library director Rebecca Troup-Hodgdon.
And the library near Troy will remain open.
This all started back in September when commissioners unveiled a plan to move the county's veteran services office inside the space currently occupied by the library.
Commissioners also wanted to reallocate half of the library's $455,000 budget across 8 other smaller libraries in the county.
"So if you have something you feel is over budgeted, you work to get that budget under control. We did meet with them, and I hope they can come back and say how can we make this work. We have some ideas here," said Commissioner Doug McLinko,
Those ideas include a list of recommendations from the library advisory committee.
They include reducing the number of hours the library is open each week to 45 hours.
Commissioners also plan to transition the Bradford County Library from its current status as an agency of the Bradford County government to an independent nonprofit, along with hiring an outside library consultant to oversee the changes.
"We are going to have someone come in who understands this because it is all over the place and to make recommendations. Take a look at our library, the bookmobile; take a look at everything and bring it together to better utilize and serve the community," said Commissioner McLinko,
Interim Library Director Rebecca Troup-Hodgdon says that she can't comment on the specifics of the recommendations just yet. She says the funding for the library in the county budget is justified.
"Libraries continue to be one of the free county resources that is open to everyone, and I encourage everyone to check out any of the libraries in Bradford County, we are a wealth of knowledge and we are here for your families," said Troup-Hodgdon.
County commissioners did not provide a timeline on when that library consultant could step in.