The Carnegie Library of Homestead

510 E 10th Avenue
Munhall, PA 15120
412-462-3444

Many in our community have inquired of me as to just how our library operates. As President of the Board of Directors, I thought it might be a good time to discuss just what we do and how we do it so that everyone in the community would have the same first hand information. While our library is “free to the public” as Andrew Carnegie prescribed when he left us this wonderful facility, we are not government owned or operated. We are a 501 C3 non profit corporation that is managed by a board of directors made up of regular citizens that are appointed and volunteer to serve. Presently we have eleven board members made up mostly by members of the community.

We are NOT part of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh but rather an independent library that is part of the 44 member Allegheny County Library System (ACLA). While most of the many library services that we offer are totally free, other activities and use of our facilities come at a cost such as our fitness club memberships or a ticket to a concert. Indeed the fees derived from our fitness club and our music hall operations are what keep the library doors open six days a week. Excellent management by our board and staff over the last few years resulted in ZERO cutbacks to hours and services and in fact saw expanded service offerings, while many other libraries faced severe cutbacks and potential closure with an uncertain outlook for the future. While we aren’t yet assured of another 113 years, our short term future is bright!

Our library operating budget is a little over $850,000 not including capital expenditures. That said, we probably receive about $500,000 form state and local governments to pay our employees and our expenses right? WRONG with a capital W! Even before the Rendell administration cut library budgets 20% in 2009, State library funding had been less than adequate and most libraries were dependent on local government donations. Our cut was about $18,000 and Governor Corbett’s budget hasn’t cut anymore and has in fact added a few programs back that were cut in 2009. Of our $850,000+ budget in 2010, we received $161,000 or 19% from state, regional and local governments broken down as follows: State basic aid $61,306 (based on populations served), RAD $82,903 (based on a very controversial and formula which we fought hard for), and $15,000 from the four municipalities that designate us as their library. For 2011 Munhall has stepped up to $20,000, Homestead $1,500, West Homestead $2,000, Whitaker zero, and a $2,000 gift from West Mifflin, even though they have not designated Carnegie of Homestead as their library.

If you did the math ($850,000 -$161,000) you would have realized that we have $689,000 to make up in our operating budget. In order to produce the revenue necessary to pay our 25 or so employees ($321,000), the utilities ($96,000), payroll taxes and insurance ($64,136), new books and materials ($36,000), and all of the other expenses, we rely on our so called “social enterprise ventures”. It is our fitness club memberships, our room rentals, pool party rentals, gym floor rentals and exercise classes that contribute from our fitness club side. From the music hall operations, our national concert series provides another stream of incomes like hall rental, beer and snack concessions, web site advertising and ticket fees that have made a major contribution since the fall of 2008 when we started doing concerts. Additionally, we apply and receive operating grants that help defray some costs as well. The balance of our operating budget comes from our endowment, about $132,000 per year the past three years, down from an excess of $200,000 in 2007. It is this kind of prudent fiscal belt tightening that will lead to future success for the next 100 years.

To summarize, the citizens of the community need to know that we have made great strides in cost cutting without cutting programs or services, while simultaneously increasing all of our revenue streams, renovated the adults reading room, the children’s library, the teen space, added a computer lab and coffee shop, an elevator (which had been talked about for 20 years) and just opened our new welcome center all in the last four years. We have quietly done nearly $750,000 of renovations over the last four years to improve our facilities to better serve our patrons. Why not stop in to take a look around, read a book, take out a DVD, or just to relax check out the new coffee shop!

Dan Lloyd
President of the Board
www.Homesteadlibrary.org
www.librarymusichall.com
www.flickr.com/photos/cloh/

Finally, if you would like to make a contribution or think you would like to offer more in the way of volunteering or if you may be interested in board service, please send your inquiry, questions or resume to Dan Lloyd, Carnegie Library of Homestead, 510 E Tenth Avenue, Munhall, PA 15120.