POTTSVILLE, Pa. — West Market Street in downtown Pottsville is home to the Pottsville Free Public Library. This year, the building is turning 100 years old, giving the library board a lot to celebrate.
Mary Hauck from Pottsville says she's been going to the library for as long as she can remember.
"I grew up with the library. I'm not as old as the library, but I grew up coming here as a child, and I think it helped to instill my love of reading," she said.
Mary and her husband regularly brought their children to the Pottsville Free Public Library. But the kids are all grown now, so the Haucks dedicate their time to keeping the library alive for their grandchildren.
"As is the case in most cities, that is the way your cities survive. That your youth take advantage of what's here, stay here and continue to grow their families here," added Ed Hauck, president of the library board.
To get more people to come to the library, Executive Director Jean Towle is showing everyone that the library has more to offer than books and magazines. It hosts free programs every week for all ages.
"There's something here for everyone. Whether that be a program, be it a service, be it a book, be it a magazine, there's something for everyone," Towle said.
The board of the Pottsville Free Public Library has invested to keep the building's 1920s look intact, yet modernizing its resources to fit the Pottsville community's needs.
"To have a building still being used for what it was originally designed is, in my opinion, a big deal. There are many buildings that are a hundred years old, yet not a lot of them are being used for what they were built," Ed Hauck said.
"The fact that we are stressing the importance of the library that has lasted all these years shows you the magnificence of this incredible building and the importance of building," said Mary Hauck.
To celebrate the building turning 100 years old, the Pottsville Free Public Library is hosting its own celebration this Saturday, Nov. 19, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. You can get tickets here.
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