After careful consideration, the Board of Trustees of Lancaster Public Library voted unanimously to close the Leola Branch effective immediately.
The Leola Branch has not been open to the public since March 14. Unfortunately, the building is no longer tenable for a number of reasons.
- New safety protocols required for COVID-19, such as social distancing, make the space of the Leola Branch too small to provide quality public library service.
- We have had minor but persistent issues with air flow and circulation inside the branch for years. Due to the small space and the inability to open windows, the Board erred on the side of caution and voted to permanently close the branch.
- The Lancaster City and Mountville Branches are larger and can operate with more safety measures in place.
- After the Upper Leacock Township offices move and the building is sold, we are not guaranteed that the space the Leola Branch currently occupies will be available.
- We explored the possibility of moving the Leola Branch to a new location, however we could not find a larger space in a convenient location at an affordable price.
- Without the funds to move to a different location, this was fiscally responsible choice.
We are committed to ensuring Leola patrons’ access to books and resources does not diminish in the least.
Leola patrons’ home library will automatically transition to the Lancaster City Branch, unless they request otherwise.
- Just eight miles from Leola, the Lancaster City Branch offers metered parking behind the building on Cherry Street.
- At the Lancaster City Branch, Leola patrons will find many of the same resources their library cards already provides, such as Hoopla, OverDrive, museum passes, and more:
- A much larger collection of materials including books, movies, audiobooks, and music
- An expansive selection of specialty items such as Internet hot spots, board games, outdoor games, and American Girl dolls
- The Duke Street Business Center and the renowned Lancaster Autism Resource Center
- A passport office
Specific holdings within the Leola Branch, such as the juvenile graphic novel collection and the newest book titles for all ages, will transfer to the Lancaster City Branch and remain accessible to patrons of all Lancaster County libraries.
We are very grateful for the loyalty and support of the Leola Branch over the years.
This is a time of change, and we acknowledge you may have additional questions. Please direct your questions to Lissa Holland, Lancaster Public Library’s Executive Director. She can be reached at lholland@lancasterpubliclibrary.org or by calling (717) 394-2651 ext. 2130.