Library grant funds set to boost Barbours Link Library

Williamsport, Pa. — Thanks to new grant funding, the James V. Brown Library's link library is getting some upgrades.

The library recently earned $4,500 in grant funding from the Plunketts Creek Township Foundation Fund at the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania.

The funds will be used to enhance the Barbours Link Library and purchase new computers for staff and public use. Funding also will support the purchase of new materials for all ages, additions to the board and card game collection, and new furnishings.

The Plunketts Creek Township Foundation Fund was founded in 1944 to “promote and maintain a charitable and benevolent organization in Plunketts Creek Township to assist the needy and to foster the moral, educational, recreational and social interest of the people living in and adjacent to the said township.”

The James V. Brown Library, in collaboration with Plunketts Creek Township, operates a small satellite library in Barbours as part of the “Link Library” rural outreach. Located within the former Barbours Schoolhouse, the Link Library provides materials ranging from early childhood literacy to new releases, popular bestsellers, DVDs, public computers, and free Internet access.

The Link’s proximity provides an immediate library experience to the residents of Plunketts Creek Township. The Barbours Link is home to a browsing collection that is actively maintained, organized, and stocked with contemporary materials.

“The support of this outreach program by FCFP allows the library to provide excellent services and materials to the residents of Plunketts Creek Township,” said Dana Brigandi, Development, Marketing and Public Relations Director, James V. Brown Library.

“The closest library within the Lycoming County Library System resides in Montoursville, which is a 34-mile trip, and James V. Brown Library is over 40 miles away. Patrons who use the Barbours Link can request and check out items from throughout the Lycoming County Library System and return materials locally to their Link Library. This service is available year-round and all without having to leave their immediate vicinity.”