Butler County is home to nine libraries, each providing support and resources to the communities they serve. Slippery Rock Community Library is one such entity, and lately, it has been struggling.

The library’s budget is not supplemented by state-aided funds, meaning 75% of its operation costs must be raised through donations and fundraisers.

So, while the library still provides technological and shared library system services, the missing funding can have a big effect.

“We get the benefits from the Butler County Federated Library System,” said Tiffany Frampton, executive director of Slippery Rock’s library. “The career system, we can lend books between libraries and the technology we’re included in. It’s really the extra funding, that’s the biggest thing we are missing.”

While collaborating with the federated system, the Slippery Rock library, which moved into a 2,240-square-foot building at 465 N. Main St. in 2018, is not a member of the federation. The difference is felt in funding; of the nine libraries in the county, only the seven members receive financial assistance from the state.

Frampton said of Slippery Rock library’s $100,000 budget, 25% comes from stable donors from local entities.

“We get a generous donation every year from the (federated system), and we do get a one-fourth mill from Slippery Rock Borough and donations from the other municipalities we serve,” she said.

Frampton and Karen Pierce, former director of Slippery Rock Community Library, said it’s important that the library is included in the library catalog and delivery service.

“The federated system has been good to Slippery Rock. We’re included in the two costly things,” Pierce said.

Frampton said her biggest concern is making up the remaining 75% of the budget.

“Our big fundraiser is a mailing once a year and that’s not doing well this year,” she said. “When the economy is bad, people don’t have the money to donate extra to the library.”

Emerging from the height of the pandemic, the library’s Friends Group was unable to fund raise as it normally does.

“It is a lot of planning, getting volunteers to help with planning and execution,” she said. “I don’t know if people got out of the habit of helping, but our numbers have been down.”

The library has had multiple fundraising efforts in play, including a murder mystery dinner theater night, T-shirt sale, plant sale and a Lake Arthur striper fishing tournament just this year.

Of the nine libraries that make up the federated system, Butler Area Public, Cranberry Public, Evans City Public, Mars Public, Zelienople Area Public, South Butler Community, and Prospect Community libraries are considered member libraries.

According to former federated system administrator Lori Hinderliter, a member library receives state aid. Each is considered “its own entity.”

“The system receives a lump sum based on a formula from the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, then a formula from the (federated system) determines what each library gets,” she said. “Amazingly, probably no more than 25% to 30% is coming from state aid.”

Butler Area Public Library, as the federation headquarters, receives additional funding. Its current operating budget is $733,500, with $189,000 coming from the state.

Factors like how many people each of the libraries serves and how much money they bring in are included in the federated system formula for fund distribution.

Founded in 2006, Slippery Rock Community Library is recognized as an independent library within the federated system. North Trails Public Library in West Sunbury is considered an official branch, according to librarian Kathy Kline.

“The (federated system) was formed in 1987 to include seven libraries,” Kline said. “The bylaws would have to be rewritten to include us.”

North Trails started as the bookmobile, which serviced the northern municipalities until 2011. As an official branch, North Trails receives a donation and the benefits of the federated system, but no cash dollars from the state.

“We’re still considered extension services of (the federated system). Everybody gets the county database with 400,000 titles and the technology and career system. That’s indirectly all supported by state dollars,” Kline said. “I don’t tend to think I don’t get support, because indirectly I do.”

The operating budget at North Trails averages at $80,000 a year, Kline added.

“The Friends of the Library donate $10,000 every year through various fundraisers, and we get a healthy donation from Clay and Washington townships and West Sunbury Borough,” she said.

Frampton and Kline said if a library like Slippery Rock or North Trails wanted to become state aided, they would apply through the Department of Education’s Office of Commonwealth Libraries.

“You can only apply when they open the door,” Kline said. “And I can’t tell you the last time they did accept applications.”

According to Pierce, qualifications like being open 45 hours a week and subscribing to a certain amount of periodicals are required to be considered for admission to the office.

“Being open 45 hours a week would cost us as much as state aid; it’s a catch 22 for us. Until the state opens up, there’s not much we can do,” she said.

Hinderliter said the state has not accepted applications for libraries to become state aided in nearly 10 years, and libraries have been receiving the same amount from the state’s formula since then.

In the recently passed state budget, which was signed by Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday, funding for the 456 public, state-aided libraries was increased by $11 million, for a total of $70.5 million.

“The state formula is part of what the (federated system) uses in their formula,” she said. “We’re in kind of a state of flux.”

She added that if the office began accepting applications and Slippery Rock Community Library qualified, it would be up to the federation board to amend the bylaws and make them a member library.

“The way our formula was created only applies to a state-aided libraries,” she said.

The Eagle did not receive a response from the Office of Commonwealth Libraries about the status of the application process in time for publication.

Frampton, Pierce and Kline agreed that educating the public on the funding of libraries can be beneficial to their operations.

“It helps when people know you’re not state aided,” Pierce said. “It shows you’re reliant 100% on donated dollars.”

Frampton said she hopes donations pick up, so Slippery Rock Community Library won’t have to cut any programs.

“It really has been a struggle,” Frampton said. “I don’t want us to lose any progress because we’re doing so well within the community. I’m hoping things turn around very quickly.”