Pittston Memorial Library Sustainability Campaign got underway at Tuesday’s special meeting. Shown are Robert Bresnahan, left, campaign chair, and Howard Grossman, Pittston Memorial Library fundraising director.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
The 2022 Pittston Memorial Library Sustainability Campaign chair, Robert Bresnahan, holds in is hands Little Library boxes that will be displayed in and around the City of Pittston. The boxes will contain books that anyone can give books or take books.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Pittston Memorial Librarian Jessica Lane said much needed funds are necessary to keep the library operating each year.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Two of the Pittston Memorial Library board members were on hand for the special capital campaign meeting. Lois Ostrowski, left, and Barbara Quinn each thanked all involved in the 2022 Sustainability Campaign fundraising effort.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
The Pittston Memorial Library board reorganized on Dec. 16, 2021. Seated, left to right: Bob Bobbouine, treasurer, Mary Pat Melvin Scarantino, Mary Kroptavich, president, Brian Johnson. Standing: Pittston City Mayor Michael Lombardo, vice president, Lisa Joyce, secretary, Lois Ostrowski.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
PITTSTON — Pittston Memorial Library officials held a special meeting on Tuesday evening kicking off the 2022 Sustainability Campaign fundraising effort looking to raise $40,000 for operational costs.
Due to the pandemic, the 2020 campaign was cut short and the 2021 campaign was canceled.
Howard Grossman, Pittston Memorial Library’s fundraising director, conducted the meeting featuring the campaign’s chairman, Pittston City developer Robert Bresnahan.
City of Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo spoke about the beginning of his administration in 1998 when he wanted to see the library move from the basement of City Hall to a standing structure of its own.
Lombardo’s goal was to build a 10,000 square-foot library which stands today that include the John P. Cosgrove Center where it has hosted many events and special meetings over the years.
“Libraries aren’t going away,” Lombardo said. “I believe they serve a really important part of our population and across the board they bring us other things. We also talk about a lot about downtown, but the truth of the matter is, the library is the most important thing I’ve ever done (as mayor).”
Mayor Lombardo went on to say how important education is as a cornerstone surpassing any of the glitter of downtown.
Grossman said if it weren’t for a capital campaign six years ago, the Cosgrove room or the children’s education room would not exist.
“This room (Cosgrove room) as well as the children’s room came about because of the capital campaign and $1.5 million was raised to double the size of the library,” Grossman said. “As the mayor said, we really have a community center with the library.”
According to Grossman, the Cosgrove Center is not only used by the library, but by the public, private, and non-profit sector as well.
Grossman said COVID-19 disrupted a lot of businesses and non-profits, effectively killing the proposed three-year capital campaign plan in 2020.
“We have a great team together and now we have a program effort from 2022 through 2024 and will be an important step forward as far as the library is concerned,” Grossman said.
Bresnahan, president and CEO of Kuharchik Construction, has accepted the chair position of the 2022 campaign.
He said the costs to run the library have been inflating, especially with electronic readers, which according to Head Librarian Jessica Lane is increasing at an alarming rate.
“We need to adapt or die and we need to be relevant in 2022 and the first thing we should do is be visually out there,” Bresnahan said, as he pointed to the Little Library boxes that will be present in the downtown area. “This is a step in the right direction and a tangible result.”
Little Libraries are wooden encased boxes that will have library books in what is described as a “give and take” system.
Bresnahan believes in order to have a healthy community ecosystem a healthy library is essential.
“I think $40,000 is a light goal,” Bresnahan said. “I do believe in the mission, I believe in what the library represents, I believe how it is imperative to a healthy community and I believe that with the right board with the trustees and with an active engagement, we will get this done.”
Jessica Lane has been the Pittston Memorial librarian since September 2021 hoping to bring in a new perspective.
“The library personally means a lot to me as my grandparents were one of the founding members of the Pittston Library,” Lane said. “The things we offer to patrons, to children, to adults, to seniors that we have a great facility and we need to remind ourselves of the need for libraries and we need to let the public know we are here.”
Tax-deductible donations are being accepted at the library’s website at pittstonmemoriallibrary.org/donations. Donations are also being accepted at Pittston Memorial Library, 47 Broad St., Pittston, PA 18640.
The Times Leader and WBRE are media sponsors of the 2022 Sustainability Campaign.
