Due to the COVID-19 threat, the Board of Trustees of the Chester County Library System/Chester County Library will be holding their monthly board meeting virtually. If you have always wanted to attend a meeting but haven’t had the time, this is your opportunity. Please click this link at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 27 to join the Chester County Library System Board Meeting. The Chester County Library Board Meeting will immediately follow.

Currently, the 2021 Budget is funding PA Libraries at 5/12 of last year’s funding.

What are the major impacts?

• Chester County Library and the 16 member libraries of the Chester County Library System will have fewer hours open, fewer materials for the public, and fewer services.
• Loss of databases to support businesses, job seekers, language learners and students
• Loss of e-book funding which are critical to students pre-K through college
• Loss of museum passes
• Loss of the new library app, curbside pickup and program calendar software
• Computers that are leased will need to be returned, reducing the computer resources available to the public

This decrease in funding will severely and negatively impact our services and programs. More importantly, sufficient funding of libraries is imperative for keeping communities employed, educated, and engaged. The current funding is a loss of over $250,000 for the Chester County Library & Henrietta Hankin Branch Library.

Contact your representatives by:

• Picking up a letter to mail at the Reference desk OR
• Texting SIGN PPFWDN to 50409 to contact your representatives.

If you have any questions about how to contact your legislators, please contact the Chester County Library Reference Desk at 610-344-5957 or ref@ccls.org. Thank you for supporting your local library!

It’s #BannedBooksWeek! Every year, the American Library Association highlights the top 10 most challenged books in public, school, and academic libraries across the country. This annual event celebrates the freedom to read, a value that librarians hold dear. Check out the top 10 most challenged books for each year going back to 2001— are any of your favorites on the list?

The Chester County Library and Henrietta Hankin Branch 2019 Annual Report is now available. Please visit our website to view it: https://chescolibraries.org/news/2019-annual-report.