Penny-Wise and Pound-Foolish: Lower Saucon's Library Dilemma

Lower Saucon Township Council is investigating joining forces with Hellertown for various public services. In many cases, joining forces may be worth consideration in the interest of fiscal responsibility. To this end, a newly formed Saucon Valley Library Task Force has been meeting once a month to investigate the possibility of exchanging the expansive public library services and collections now enjoyed by Lower Saucon residents at Bethlehem Area Public Library, for those available at Hellertown Area Public Library.

The Lower Saucon Township Council is working under the assumption that it could contract for library service with Hellertown and that Lower Saucon residents would still be able to borrow materials and have services provided by Bethlehem Area Public Library. At the present, the statewide Access Pennsylvania Library system allows this with the intent of giving rural communities equal access to resources found in larger communities. BAPL has readily shared its resources with other libraries and continues to do so even though the Commonwealth mandates but no longer funds this program. Assuming that AccessPA has a future continuing as an unfunded mandate, Lower Saucon Township could pay Hellertown Area Public Library $2.55 less per capita than it currently pays BAPL and would have the same access to BAPL’s resources and collections. Or would they?

If Bethlehem Area Public Library loses $173,000 per year from Lower Saucon Township’s proposed action, there will be a profound impact on the services and collections that are currently provided to the remaining five member communities of Freesmanburg, Fountain Hill, Hanover Township, Bethlehem Township and City of Bethlehem, who are already trying to make do with less on behalf of their residents. Currently supported by the six-community partnership including Lower Saucon, Bethlehem Area Public Library is able to provide more services and a vast collection to a broad population base. Not only does this mean a larger collection and dedicated professional staff, but also innovative technology, informative adult programs, early literacy programs for children, bookmobile service (with six neighborhood stops in Lower Saucon that would be eliminated) and many online reference resources, most of which are prohibitively expensive for small libraries like Hellertown.

Naturally, Hellertown Area Public Library would welcome an influx of new funds and the possibility of proposed building expansion. With a healthy dose of optimism, the Saucon Valley Library Task Force believes this can be accomplished for just $500,000, with $250,000 coming from Lower Saucon Township and the balance pinned on hopes of a Keystone Grant – a grant which may never happen.

So, in an effort to save less than the cost of a cup of coffee and a donut – two dollars and change per person per year – Lower Saucon residents could end up with far fewer library services, a much smaller collection with limited choice, few programs and limited technology. Lower Saucon officials are relying on Bethlehem Area Public Library to fill the gap despite the drastic drop in BAPL funding that would result from their action.

Nothing ever takes place in a vacuum and Bethlehem Area Public Library also has been hit hard by the economic downturn and has had to make tough choices. Yet, ironically, BAPL felt a great responsibility to its member communities, including Lower Saucon, refusing to cut bookmobile service, homebound delivery and youth outreach, or the number of adult and children’s programs (over 800 each year), or its collection of materials including 225,000 books, DVDs, music, eBooks, computer software, educational toys, magazines etc. Instead, BAPL’s Board of Trustees and management made the very difficult decision to maintain its collections and give the same service with fewer hands, ultimately reducing its staff by 17%.

Lower Saucon residents certainly have the right and a responsibility to choose what is best for them. They should consider all their options and voice their opinion. The Saucon Valley Library Task Force meets the second Thursday of each month at 5 p.m., in the Lower Saucon Township building.