Carolyn Rice, director of the Lititz Public Library, told borough council on Oct. 28 that the library has launched a $1.5 million capital campaign to expand children's, teen and tutoring spaces, add ADA access to the backyard programming area and address aging infrastructure.

Rice said the library serves a service area of more than 32,000 people, holds over 66,000 physical items and 28,000 digital items, and provided usage figures showing heavy demand: 5,476 active cardholders, roughly 90,000 items borrowed in 2024, and 14,851 attendees at children's programs last year. She said the library has 17 story times a week and that space limitations forced a wait list of 367 children for programming in 2024.

On the capital campaign, Rice said the library opened its public kickoff in October and has raised $1.3 million toward the $1.5 million goal. She presented interior plans that add a dedicated children's programming room, two small tutoring/quiet rooms, a conference room for 25 and an expanded community room. Improvements would include a new access route from the programming space to the back patio to accommodate strollers and guests with mobility needs.

Rice asked council to consider a borough gift to the building fund that she said would signal community support and encourage others to give. She told council the library will submit a second land development plan to Warwick Township the following day and hoped to receive approvals after Warwick's November meeting; the library’s target for a groundbreaking is early spring 2026 should approvals and the final $100,000 be in place. Rice added that regular operating support would still be needed in addition to any capital contribution.

Council members thanked Rice and several indicated they would discuss the request during the borough’s budget process; staff said the budget review meeting is scheduled for Nov. 12 and the borough’s fiscal schedule will provide an opportunity for further consideration.

Provenance: Presentation began at about 13:47 and concluded near 32:12 in the transcript.

Speakers (selected):
- Carolyn Rice, Director, Lititz Public Library
- Mary (council member) — asked about timing and pledged support

Why this matters: The expansion addresses high program demand, long wait lists for children's programming and accessibility issues. A borough contribution could influence other funders and affect capital budgeting decisions.

Ending: Rice invited borough participation in the budget review process and requested the library be placed on the November budget meeting agenda for a capital gift request.