Jul 3, 2017 3 min read

Libraries are more than just books on shelves nowadays.

They’re wonderful places for learning where children and families gather while adults peruse the internet or read a newspaper.

In Rostraver, there’s an “idea room” in the library with a small robot that inspires children to learn about their world beyond what they read in books.

The Chartiers-Houston Community Library held a “Star Wars”-themed holiday party with people dressing up as characters from the sci-fi franchise.

At Flenniken Public Library in Carmichaels, there are free art classes for students. They were launched after the Carmichaels Area School District eliminated its elementary art program a few years ago.

Once considered stuffy places with seemingly endless miles of bookstacks, libraries are converting themselves into community hubs that offer a wide range of services and programs. Some are venturing into the digital era with cafes tailor-made for web browsing or looking at e-readers.

“We have to make ourselves welcoming and functional so (visitors) can get as much as possible for stopping here,” Rostraver’s library director Naomi Cross said.

But none of this is guaranteed.

State funding for libraries in Pennsylvania has been stagnant for nearly 15 years, meaning the staffs have had to do more with less.

Compounding the problem, President Trump’s budget is reviewing funding to the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The $214 million the service delivers each year to libraries and museums is a drop in the federal budget’s bucket, but would be devastating to local libraries that depend on that money for programs, including the Rostraver robot.

“We’ll all be in a state of hurt,” Flenniken’s acting director Nicole Mitchell said.

These are education hubs for the community, but they’re often looked upon as expendable by local government leaders. The loss of municipal funding to Citizens Library in recent years is a perfect example how local officials think cuts to civic services won’t have long-range impacts.

Most of our local libraries function on shoestring budgets, holding small fundraisers just to be able to keep the lights on.

Meanwhile, places such as Upper St. Clair, Peters Township and Mt. Lebanon invest heavily in their libraries. Those investments pay off in the end with better reading selections for patrons and more programing for students, adults and seniors.

In the end, you get what you pay for.

Michelle Hazen DeHosse, president of the library board in Monongahela, tried to quantify what programs and other amenities can do for the community.

“The programs, not only do they bring people into the library, but they also educate them,” DeHosse said. “That’s much more powerful than anything on paper.”

That tiny robot has a big impact.