Help Increase Municipal Funding for Our Library

Did you know that the Free Library of New Hope and Solebury receives only $6 per capita in municipal funding?

That makes us the lowest locally funded library in the Bucks County system.

Our library has proudly served the residents of our community for over 100 years, offering books, services and programs free of charge. At present we save our patrons over $500,000 each year through our mission to provide free access to information.

The Pennsylvania state Library Code specifically states that local municipal funding should be the primary means of sustainable financial support for a public library, yet currently the funding we receive from our municipalities covers only 33% of our operating costs. The majority of our funding (52%) comes from the generosity of our patrons, for which we are very grateful.

As operating costs continue to rise, our budget remains flat. There has been no further increase in municipal funding in a number of years, despite increased costs. In order to balance our budget we recently had to make the difficult decision to cut health care coverage for all our employees. Our current budget of $212,000 is very lean given the services we provide and a cut in funding would be devastating to both the staff and the public.

We ask that you support our request to the Solebury Supervisors and New Hope Borough to move our funding in line with other Bucks County communities. Please let your elected representatives know you care about the future of this important community treasure.