The scent of new books dances in the air, and various board games line lower shelves. A teenager browses the books in the young adult section while a father and son sit at a table playing tic-tac-toe. A woman is seated, working on her computer nearby. Grandparents smile while they watch their grandchild play with blocks and pick up children’s books in the kids section.
These new books and materials did not come from a typical renovation; the Arthur Hufnagel Library had been closed for nearly the past two years due to intense water damage.
A simple leak caused the disposal of almost everything within the library forcing it to close in Feb. of 2024. Glen Rock mayor Michelle Siekso knows the ins and outs of the events.
“In the men’s restroom, one of the toilets or urinals started leaking, which would have been a minor issue, but it backed up outside,” Siesko said. “Water was getting into places, and the water caused the damage to multiple things, which caused mold, which caused poor air quality, and then we couldn’t just rip up everything because there was asbestos. Every time we thought there was just one problem, there was a new problem.”
The repairs and repurchasing took a long time, and the library was not ready for such a surprise. Librarian Kathy Heisler was just as surprised
as anyone about the immense problems.
“No one expected that when there was the initial flood,” Heisler said. “Broken pipe? We’ll fix it, no problem. But it didn’t work out that way because we found other issues. Some things had to be replaced; bookshelves, carpet, anything that got wet. Unfortunately, we had to replace most of the books, anything paper that is exposed to mold, you have to get rid of.”
The fundraising challenge extended the library’s closing. Heisler is grateful for everyone who donated money, especially the Friends Group. Without the money, the library would not be able to reopen.
“[Pennsylvania libraries] don’t get a lot of money from the government,” Heisler said. “Most libraries have what’s called a ‘Friends Group,’ and they are mainly in charge of fundraising. That’s pretty much everyt
hing they do, year round. You have to think outside the box, try new things…We needed all of the money raised before we could even start construction. So, we were guaranteed once we started we would be able to finish.”
When Hufnagel closed, it decreased the town’s activity in other businesses. Siesko received feedback from local business owners, such as Ali Collier of the Main Street Market.
“[Collier] said when the library closed, her business dropped because I think a lot of people come to story time or whatever, and then they would walk across and get a coffee or buy a snack or whatever and so she really saw that her business dropped,” Siesko said.
District parent and frequent library user Lindsy O’Connor appreciates the library and acknowledges how special it is to the town.
“I love that it’s in our local community,” O’Connor said. “I obviously love going to the library and it’s something ever since the kids were little, we’d go. It’s just a good place to take the family. Plus, I love reading, and I just like our little town and having a place to go.”
Heisler is glad Hufnagel is back on track and will hopefully be running for years to come; however, there is still much work to be done in order for the library’s resources to be replenished.
“The main goal is to stay open,” Heisler said. “Which means we need to keep raising money, so we can now pay the bills, buy the books, buy the equipment and pay for programming.”
Hufnagel has new plans in store for the future. Siesko is excited for the hard work that will be put into enhancing people’s experiences with programs.
“The back room that used to be where all the trains were set up, so right now, the library owns a portion of that which we have turned into storage,” Siesko said. “Ideally, we want to take over the entire back space and make that a whole, so we can have larger programs.”
