Pittston Memorial Library strives to play bigger role

PITTSTON, Pa. — There are endless opportunities to escape or access important information at a place like a library. That's why the Pittston Memorial Library is picking up its sustainability fundraising campaign, where it left off in February of 2020.

"We had some thousands of dollars contributed at that point in time, but then the pandemic came along, so we had to really stop the campaign for 16-plus months," explained fundraising director Howard Grossman.

The break hurt the library, but thanks to dedicated staff members, leaders say it remained open with a small staff and limited access.

"The library has really been an important part of the communities," added board member Lois Ostrowski. "We constantly put out information in terms of CDC and regulations what was happening with COVID."

"People are coming to us and now saying, 'the library has saved me during the pandemic.' Especially the two years of being unable to travel, being unable to participate in social gatherings," said library director Jessica Lane. "Books were an escape for people, and even more so than the books, what we realized is people need an outlet that we can still distance, but we can still interact."

Jessica Lane took over as library director in September and is hoping to add many events and opportunities for the library to continue to be a place for education, but also fun, for people of all ages while staying safe.

"Crafter Day starting on Saturday, where we have kind of an open-house-style crafts set up that anyone can peruse and come in to do one of three crafts that our coordinators have created," explained Lane. "And then we have a teen trivia and game night. And then we're also instituting we're calling it a 'Triple Thread Club' so it's a crocheting knitting and sewing club."

Lane says her plan is for the library to become more of a community center than just a place to check out a book.

"Parents are coming to me and saying, 'Thank you for being open. Thank you for having programs. Thank you for giving our kids something more to think about than a mask or a textbook,'" added Lane.

The goal of the sustainability campaign is to raise $40,000 a year for the next three years for the library.

If you would like to donate to the library to help with its efforts, you can find information on how to do so on its website by clicking here.

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