Westmoreland libraries try to make up for drop in state dollars

With Pennsylvania's July 1 budget deadline looming, some Westmoreland County library officials are bracing for yet another drop in state funding and are considering options to make up those losses.

Library officials said that local support for fundraising events such as auctions, book sales, bake sales and letter-writing campaigns is important in the face of dwindling state dollars. They contend that everyone should have a stake in maintaining viable libraries. "Public libraries are the great common denominator," said Denise Sticha, director of the Westmoreland Federated Library System and the Murrysville Public Library.