View a PowerPoint Presentation by Dennis and Sharleen Martin on the History of the Abington Community Library here! The file is large - be patient. New! View a virtual tour of the Abington Community Library and all it has to offer here! If you would like a live presentation for your group or organization on the Library and what it has to offer, contact the director at 570.587.3440. We're happy to 'take the show on the road.'
Mission Statement The Abington Community Library’s mission is to facilitate lifelong learning, provide for leisure-time interests, support student research, and encourage teens, children, and adults to read.Adopted August 2008
History of Abington Community Library & Facts Facilities
History:
In December 1959 an article in the Abington Journal announced that a meeting would take place in January to establish a library in the Clarks Summit area. This was based on an idea put forth by the Clarks Summit-Abington PTA.On January 11, 1960 the Abington Library Association was born. The Library,
originally
located
in
a
storefront in what had been the Abington Fabric Store at 420 State
Street
in
Clarks
Summit (now the Young Funeral Home parking lot), opened its doors with 2,000 donated books on June 18, 1960.The Abington Heights Junior Women’s Club (now the Civic League) was also instrumental in the early years.The Library was
incorporated
April
16,
1965.
In
1966
the Library moved
to
a
renovated
single-family
dwelling
located
at 500
School
Street and
continued
as
an
all-volunteer
organization
until
1967
with
the
hiring
of
its
first
director.
In
1975
the
municipalities
of
Clarks
Summit,
Clarks
Green,
and
South
Abington
Township ,
declared
it
their
‘official Library.’
In
1982
a
referendum
creating
a
dedicated
county Library tax
was
passed
and
in
1983
the Library became
part
of
the
Lackawanna
County Library System. The
current Library is
located
in
a
building
constructed
in
1991
on
donated
property,
which
opened
March
2,
1992.
It
contains
a
community
meeting
room
frequently
used
by
local
non-profit organizations, the
Friends
of
the
Abington
Community Library,
and for other Library-sponsored
programs. Originally
ten
thousand
square
feet,
the
addition
of
a
Children’s
Room,
opened
in
October
2002,
increased
the Library’s
total
size
to
approximately
14,500
square
feet.
A
total
of
55
parking
spaces
are
available
in
two
lots.
2007
Funding:
Lackawanna
County
&
State
Support ($557,178 or 90%),Access
PA ($ 25,613 or4%), Local (Municipal Support, Donations, Fund Drive: 38,252 or 7%).
Staff:The Library currently
has
a
staff
of eight full-time staff, and twenty part-time staff including pages.
The
full
time
staff
includes
the
director,
head
of
children’s
services,
head
of
young
adult
and
adult
services,
an
assistant
in
the
children’s
room,
reference/interLibrary loan
librarian,
chief
circulation
clerk,
and one circulation
clerk.
Part-time
clerks
work
anywhere
from
six
to
twenty-five
hours
each
week.
Five pages
work
evenings,
Saturdays,
and
Sundays. Four staff members have master’s degrees and one is a Provisional librarian (has credits towards a master’s).
Collection:
At
the
end
of
2007 the Library collection
held
a
total
of over 79,000 items,
including
books,
non-circulating
reference
books,
DVDs
and
videocassettes,
talking
books
on
CD
and
cassette,
music
CDs
and
cassettes,
filmstrips,
and
periodicals.The Library has also added two ways to download talking books and two databases for Genealogy research: Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest.In
2007,
nearly
240,000
items
circulated
through
this Library and 4,650 new
items
were
added
to
the
collection.
The Library over
100
periodicals,
most
of
which
can
be
borrowed
for
one
week.
Newspapers
include:
Abington
Journal,
Barron’s,
Christian
Science
Monitor,
New
York
Times,
Scranton
Times
&
Tribune,
Suburban ,
USA
Today,
and
Wall
Street
Journal. Investors may find Value Line, Morningstar Reports, and Standard & Poor’s Outlook useful.
InterLibrary Loan and Reference Services:
InterLibrary loan helps meet the needs of our patrons.In 2007, 872 InterLibrary Loans were made state and nation-wide upon request.Many, many more loans were made, and sent to, Lackawanna county public libraries.Reference
collections
are
found
in
both
the
adult
and
children’s
areas,
with
qualified
reference
assistance
available
for Library users.In 2007, over 1,500 reference
questions
were
answered.
Computer Services: The Library has
12
public
access
Internet
workstations
for
adult
users
and
5
for
children; in 2007 more than 24,000 reservations were made at this Library.
The
workstations
also
have
direct
access
to
Pennsylvania
Power Library,
a
collection
of
databases
provided
through
Commonwealth
Libraries.
Users
are
also
welcome
to
use
the
Microsoft
programs
available
on
the
workstations.
The
children’s
workstations
are
loaded
with
learning
games
and
filtered
Internet
access.
In
2006
the Library received
free
wireless
Internet
access
for
patrons,
compliments
of Comcast.
Staff is available
to
help patrons
with
the
online
catalog,
resources
available
on
POWER Library,
brief
instruction
on
using
Internet
workstations,
and
readers
advisory.
The Library also
has
a
microfilm/fiche
reader
and
the
Scranton
Times
on
microfilm
from
1895
–
1990.
Programs:
Five
five-week
story
hour
sessions
are
held
Monday through Friday throughout
the
school
year for children 2 – 5 years. There is a bi-monthly story hour for children ages 1 to 3, and occasional evening programs. Special
summer
story
hours
are
held
during
June
and
July.
Summer and winter
reading
programs
are
available
to
both
children
and
young
adults
and
numerous
book
discussions
for
all
ages
are
available frequently.
Other
special
and
educational
programs
are
frequently
offered
to
children,
young
adults,
and
adults
throughout
the
year.
An
active
teen
advisory
board
plans
and
conducts
book
discussions
and
special
programs
for
teens.
In
addition,
the
teen
board
plans
and
holds
special
programs
for
younger
children.
The
popular
“American
Girl”
events
and
“Pirate
Day”
are
examples.The Friends assist us with programming for adults and two Used Book Sales, rounding out a full palette of lifelong learning and entertainment.
Program Stats: In 2007,
there
were 3,331 juvenile visits, 958 young
adult program,
and 1,702 adult visits.
Service
Hours:
The Library is
open
71
hours
each
week.Holidays and early closings are posted on our website, www.lclshome.org/abington. Hours
of
operation
are:
Monday
–
Friday9
AM.
to
9
PM
Saturday
`9
AM
to
5
PM.
Sunday2
PM
to
5
PM.
Service
Area:Abington
Community Library’s
service
area
includes
the
boroughs
and
townships
in
the
Abington
Heights
School
District
(Abington,
Clarks
Green,
Clarks
Summit,
Glenburn,
Newton,
North
Abington,
Ransom,
South
Abington, and West Abington)
and
Scott
Township.
As
part
of
the
Lackawanna
County Library System
it
offers Library service
free
of
charge
to
any
resident
of
Lackawanna
County . (Population over 28,000based on 2000 census)
Affiliations: The Abington
Community Library is
a
member
of
the
Lackawanna
County Library System,
a
federated
system
for med
in
1982.
The Library holds
membership
in
American Library Association,
the
Pennsylvania Library Association,
and
the
Public Library Association.
In
2005
the Library became
members
of
the
Abington
Business
and
Professionals
Association.
Awards:The Lackawanna County Commissioners issued a proclamation declaring September 12, 2006, "Abington Community Library Day."The proclamation came in response to the Library's recognition as one of three libraries to receive the annual Marketing Award from the Office of Commonwealth Libraries in June 2006.In 2007 the Library recognized new IDEAL PATRONs: First Lady Laura Bush, and the Honorable Tom Ridge and his wife Michele.
Boards:
The
Abington
Community Library has
three
boards.
The Library is
incorporated
and
its
business
is
conducted
by
a
Board
of
Directors ,
each
serving
a
three-year
term.
Meetings
are
held
monthly.
The
Friends
of
the
Abington
Community Library (started in 1972)
is
primarily
involved
with
fundraising
through
their
semi-annual
used
book
sales.
The
Abington
Community Library ~
Teen Leadership Committee (begun in June of 2002),
a
teen
advisory
board,
primarily
conducts
programming
for
teens
and
assists
with
numerous
other
events
both
locally
and
county-wide
as
needed.
![Lackawanna County Library System [logo]](http://www.lclshome.org/images/lcls_logo1.jpg){kind=logo}
