The year 2024 was a difficult one for the Lancaster Public Library, which faced a number of challenges to its mission to serve a number of surrounding communities in Lancaster County. Those challenges now appear to be carrying over into 2025, leaving the library’s staff and administrators scrambling to keep things running.
Trouble began last March when the library was subjected to a bomb threat from someone who had a problem with the library hosting a drag queen story hour. The bomb scare proved to be a false alarm, but the library was still forced to cancel the drag event.
The bomb scare subsequently gave rise to several funding problems. A great portion of the library’s budget comes from the townships the library serves, some of whose boards didn’t want Lancaster Public Library to host future drag events, making funding contingent on the library promising not to host any more drag queen story hours at their facility.
The library’s administration declined to make such a promise. At the time of those initial demands, Lancaster Public Library Executive Director Lissa Holland said, “Our basic mission is to provide various viewpoints of information, [and] to make sure that everyone feels welcomed and that they are represented.”
Nevertheless, as Holland told PGN, in subsequent negotiations with the troublesome municipalities, she admitted that the library would not be scheduling drag events so long as there remains a threat of danger.
“Safety of our staff and attendees must always come first,’ she insisted.
However, she stood firm in her refusal to promise that the library would avoid hosting drag events or other controversial programs.
“It’s important that we strive to represent all communities within our community,” she said.
As a result, several of Lancaster County’s townships threatened to pull their funding, notably Manor and East Hempfield townships and Mountville Borough. Mountville decided to keep their funding in place — with strings. The condition was that their contribution could only be used for the library’s local Mountville branch, and not for the library’s general operating fund. Ironically, according to Holland, such a localized targeting of municipality funds has always been the policy for Lancaster Public Library, making Mountville’s demand redundant — essentially conservative posturing.
In December, East Hempfield Township made good on its threat, withholding $26,700 specifically because the library refused to promise to not hold any more drag queen story hours. Manor Township also voted to remove Lancaster Public Library funding from its 2025 budget.
According to Scott Wiglesworth, a member of the East Hempfield Board of Supervisors, “We wanted to ensure that the programs remain non-partisan [and] focus on literacy, not controversial events, such as drag queen story hour.”
Lancaster Public Library serves 14 municipalities in Lancaster County. Since the library does not receive government funding, it depends on budget allocations from those municipalities and patron donations to pay the bills.
Only a few other municipalities have threatened to go the route of Manor and East Hempfield townships, but Holland was able to reach compromises with them to maintain funding. As a result of the controversy, Lancaster Public Library supporters last year started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover some of the library’s budget shortfall.
“We received $36,050 in donations from members of the community through the GoFundMe fundraiser set up by members of the community,” said Jon Heinly, the library’s Director of Donor Advising.
In addition, the library was able to raise approximately $133,000 during the annual community donation event ExtraGive last year, breaking a new record for the library. According to Holland, this event included more than 1,000 new first-time donors which, Holland says, was in direct response by the community to the bomb threat last March and the subsequent conservative backlash.
Holland takes encouragement from these signs of community support. She feels that it’s a clear indication that a majority of people in Lancaster County value the library, and the services it provides, and appreciates Lancaster Public Library’s continuing efforts to provide a safe space for all diverse communities. Such encouragement will be vital as the Lancaster Public Library seeks to navigate the troubled months ahead.