Friends of the Schlow Library rallied Tuesday in State College to protest cuts to Pennsylvania libraries’ budgets.
More than a dozen library supporters spoke at the rally about Schlow’s place in their lives and communities. State College resident Charles Dumas came to support the library.
“We need the library," said Dumas. "The library is a vital part of this community. It’s the heart and soul of the community, and we need to support it.”
Bob Potter is president of Friends of the Schlow Library. He says after years of cuts, this is the first time the library has had to shut down to compensate.
“Schlow’s portion has been about $900,000 in reduced funding since 2008," Potter said, "and so we can’t make that up in nickels and dimes. So we close for a week to save staff time and salaries, and to make a statement.”
State representative Scott Conklin spoke at the event. Friends of the Schlow hope state legislators like Conklin will take notice of the library’s community support and restore funding.
After a week-long furlough, Schlow library will reopen on Monday.
