Rising budgets, tough economic times and the need to perpetually promote themselves.
These are some of the reasons why community libraries continually look for new ways to raise money.
"It' really getting tougher," said Dianne Rigby, librarian at the Delmont Public Library.
Times are so trying right now that the library is doing something it hasn't done in four years. The Delmont Public Library is sending out a mass mailing asking the community for support.
"We are hoping the community will just flood us with checks," Rigby said.
Rigby and the library board of directors have also been discussing new ways to generate funds.
Rigby said they are toying with the idea of an antique fashion show, a house tour, a gold jewelry party and something she remembers from years ago -- Laps for the Library.
When her children were little and growing up in Delmont, they participated in Laps for the Library, a fundraising activity where they peddled laps on their bike on a closed street and collected sponsorship money for their efforts.
"I remember my oldest son won a trophy," said Rigby, referring to Keith Rigby, who now lives in Peters Township.
Rigby brought up this idea to the board because she thought it might work as a walk-a-thon.
In forming ideas for fundraisers, Rigby said the key to success is to find something that's easy for the library and appealing to the community.
They seemed to hit that right combination when they played host to a jewelry party last year.
"It was quite successful," Rigby said, adding the library brought in $600 from that event.
It worked so well that the library decided to try it again this year. A jewelry show will take place at 2 p.m. Nov. 2 at Newhouse Hall in Salem Lutheran Church on East Pittsburgh Street in Delmont.
Jewelry from Premier Designs will be shown by representative Pam Behr of Delmont, and it will be offered for sale with the proceeds benefiting the library.
Rigby suggested community members can do some Christmas shopping while also helping the library.
The Sewickley Township Public Library is also pointing out that Christmas is right around the corner as it attempts to sell chances on a ticket for "Holiday Grocery & Gasoline Giveaway."
In exchange for a $5 donation, individuals can take a chance on winning a $1,250 Giant Eagle/Get Go gift card. Just 500 tickets will be sold and each one has two numbers. The winning number will be taken from the Daily Three Digit Pennsylvania Lottery drawn at 7 p.m. Nov. 27.
"I think it's going to be an easy sell and people seem to like tickets," said Mandy Luchs, Sewickley Township Public Library Director.
Luchs persuaded the library board to give the ticket a try because she saw the same thing work successfully at a library where she was employed at in the past.
Raising funds is a constant challenge for the library located near Herminie.
Luchs said in today's economic times it's like a "double-edged sword."
She said the library has always needed money and will continue to, but now it's getting harder to do fundraising because as the cost of gasoline and many other necessities goes up, people have less money to donate.
On a good note, she said the library experienced its most lucrative fundraiser ever last spring when it organized a golf outing that brought in nearly $7,000 for the library.
The library plans to repeat the event in the spring of 2009, but Luchs is reluctant to say whether it will become an annual event.
She hopes it will, but she explained the library's eight board members spent a lot of time and effort organizing it.
"It was a lot of hard work, but you can't argue with the results," Luchs said.
The Friends of the Sewickley Township Public Library keep the funds coming in on a regular basis by playing host to many gatherings where independent sales people hawk their wares like Pampered Chef, Tupperware and Cookie Lee jewelry.
Although the gatherings might only attract as many as 20 people, catalog sales from others can really help things add up quickly for the library.
In Manor, the library there is trying an antique appraisal event, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Manor Public Library, 44 Main St. John Mickinack will conduct the appraisals for $5 per item. A light lunch will be available during the event as well.
Manor also plans an Election Day Bake and Book Sale from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 4 and a Holiday Craft/Vendor Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 15. Both of these events will be held at the library.
