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Monday 9am - 7pm Tuesday 9am - 7pm Wednesday 9am - 8pm Thursday 9am - 8pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm

Lancaster Public Library

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Lancaster Public Library

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Lancaster Public Library inspires, empowers, and strengthens our community.

As one of the oldest public libraries in the country, Lancaster Public Library has been providing library service in Lancaster for over 260 years. Lancaster Public Library has two locations in the county including the main branch at 151 N. Queen Street in the City of Lancaster and the Mountville Branch at 120 College Avenue in Mountville. Our free public library services include:
»Adult, children, and teen books, periodicals, and audiovisuals from a collection of nearly 200,000 individual items
»Research, business, and historical reference collections
»Research assistance by skilled professional reference librarians
»Educational, recreational, and cultural programs and events for children, teens, adults, and seniors in collaboration community organizations
»Public computers with Internet access, as well as computer instruction for adults
»Online access to databases
»Public meeting rooms for approved community activities
»Quiet research and training areas
»Special language collections

In addition to basic library services, Lancaster Public Library offers special and unique information services to specific groups of individuals in the community like the Business & Reference Center, the World Languages Collection, and the Autism Resource Collection.

10/27/2026

Through a ballot referendum, registered voters in Lancaster County will have the opportunity to answer the following question in the General Election on November 3:

“Shall the County of Lancaster establish a dedicated Library tax to provide for the maintenance of, and aid to, public libraries in Lancaster County at the rate of .55 mills on the dollar on all taxable real estate within the County of Lancaster?”

When some people learn that public libraries in Lancaster County are underfunded their first question is, “Have you tried fundraising?” The answer is YES.

Lancaster Public Library hosts several fundraisers a year that raise money to provide needed services, resources, and materials to the Lancaster community. But they don’t raise enough to provide stable, secure, and sufficient funding for the Library. To achieve that, we’d need to host the BIG Book Sale (our biggest fundraiser by far) two times/month. We have the best volunteers in the world, but even they couldn’t pull off something like that.

In addition to fundraisers, we receive support from foundations and individual donors. We are beyond grateful for their generosity, but this type of funding can vary from year to year. Sustainable funding will allow us to keep serving our community for years to come.

In a twist that no one saw coming, in early 2026, Lancaster Public Library received an official notification from the U.S. Department of State that it would be deactivated as a Passport Acceptance Facility due to its status as a non-governmental organization. So, a significant stream of funding we considered very secure was taken away with no notice, causing major impacts across the organization. We were not alone, more than 25 libraries across Pennsylvania (including several in Lancaster County) were affected by this change.

The public libraries in Lancaster County are facing significant operating budget challenges. Without access to stable funding, local libraries will have to make cuts to their operating hours, available materials, and program offerings.

Expanding and improving the offerings of public libraries in Lancaster County makes our community better. Please keep our libraries and our communities strong: vote YES for libraries on November 3.

10/27/2026

This week, a small group of teens will meet at the library for a 3D printing series to explore these incredible machines! Over the course of four sessions, they will learn how to model and print a 3D object of their choice. Tonight’s session was all about scanning objects - safely! 🚫👀🔵💡

With support from the Steinman Foundation, we are providing everything they need to scan, model, and print their designs!

10/25/2026

What are you reading today? 📖

10/24/2026

We were whisked away to the magical realm of the Nutcracker today. Dancers from the Victor Yeliohin International Ballet Academy visited the library to perform scenes from the Nutcracker Ballet. Afterwards, they showed an enthusiastic crowd some basic ballet steps, so naturally a tiny bit of chaos ensued!

10/23/2026

Through a ballot referendum, registered voters in Lancaster County will have the opportunity to answer the following question in the General Election on November 3:

“Shall the County of Lancaster establish a dedicated Library tax to provide for the maintenance of, and aid to, public libraries in Lancaster County at the rate of .55 mills on the dollar on all taxable real estate within the County of Lancaster?”

Maybe you recognize that the public libraries in Lancaster County are underfunded but are wondering why we’ve come together to propose a dedicated Library tax. That’s a great question.

There are just a few ways public libraries may be publicly funded in Pennsylvania. Outside of VOLUNTARY funding by local municipalities from the general fund, a dedicated property tax, based on the assessed value of taxable property, is the only other option for secure, stable, and sufficient funding.

There is no state mandate that requires municipalities in PA to fund public libraries, and as a result, the 14 independent public libraries in Lancaster County are inconsistently funded. There are some municipalities that provide NO financial support to the public library in their community. At the other extreme, one public library is a department of the municipality in which it exists.

Public libraries in Lancaster County are underfunded and have been for a very long time. Nationally, an average of $48.01/capita is provided for public libraries with a combination of state and local funding. In Lancaster County, it’s $12.65/capita. An approved referendum would help the public libraries in Lancaster County align more closely to national averages and meet resident expectations for access to services, materials, and programming.

A dedicated Library tax in Lancaster County will sustain and expand the work of public libraries in our community. It’s your library. It’s your vote.

10/21/2026

At the (ahem) tail end of Summer Reading 2026, we invited some special friends to a sleepover at the library. It was a memorable experience for everyone involved! 🐢🐇🧸🦅🐈

Lancaster Public Library’s Summer Reading program may look like one big (sleepover) party, but it helps children, teens, and families stay connected to books, creativity, and discovery when many young people are at risk of summer learning loss. Through reading challenges, hands-on activities, and educational programs, the Library creates meaningful opportunities for youth to explore, imagine, and keep learning all summer long. And, when summer is over, children return to school energized, engaged, and ready to thrive.

Although we provide our patrons with free access to all our programs, services, and materials, the Lancaster Public Library does not exist for free. We must pay a substantial amount of money for the programs, services, and materials we offer at no charge to the community. And, because Lancaster Public Library is not fully funded with public dollars, we are responsible for fundraising over 60% of the organization’s operating budget.

The public libraries in Lancaster County are facing significant operating budget challenges. Without access to stable, secure, and sufficient funding, local libraries will have to make cuts to their operating hours, available materials, and program offerings.

Libraries are essential to an educated, healthy, and thriving community and deserve the robust support of Lancaster County voters. Voting YES for Libraries on November 3 will provide Lancaster County’s public libraries with a steady stream of transformative funding 🗳️📚

10/20/2026

On Saturday, October 10, the Friends of Lancaster Public Library hosted their first ever BINGO fundraiser 🎉 It was a wildly popular event, which means it will be back next year (and every year after) if all goes to plan!

Events like these obviously help the Library continue to provide needed services, resources, and materials to everyone in the Lancaster community. But, they don’t raise enough to provide stable, secure, and sufficient funding for the Library. To do that, we’d need to host five BINGO fundraisers each day for an entire year! We have the best volunteers in the world, but even they couldn’t pull off something like that 🤪

The public libraries in Lancaster County are facing significant operating budget challenges. Without access to stable funding, local libraries will have to make cuts to their operating hours, available materials, and program offerings.

Libraries are essential to an educated, healthy, and thriving community and deserve the robust support of Lancaster County voters. Voting YES for Libraries on November 3 will provide Lancaster County’s public libraries with a steady stream of transformative funding 🗳️📚

10/17/2026

Our spider sense is tingling! It’s telling us Trunk or Treat at Lancaster County Park has begun 🕷️🧡💜

Come out, say hi, and sign up for a library card!

10/11/2026

If you ask us, rainy days are required reading days!

What are you reading today 📖🌧️✨

Address

151 N. Queen Street
Lancaster, PA
17603

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 7pm
Tuesday	9am - 7pm
Wednesday	9am - 8pm
Thursday	9am - 8pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+17173942651

Website

http://www.lancasterpubliclibrary.org/

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