Budgets are tight just about everywhere these days but for libraries, where state funding is getting cut left and right, officials are having to get creative when it comes to bringing in money.
You can see a few examples for yourself in the coming weekends in Lackawanna County.
The first thing you see when you walk in the door of the Abington Community Library in Clarks Summit isn't books, at least not for now.
It's baskets that are being raffled off by library officials and that's just the start of what they have planned for the place.
Next weekend, November 13 and 14, you will be able to shop there too.
"From knitted scarves to handmade jewelry, wooden bowls and cutting boards, children's clothes, chocolate treats. Many different things," said Dorothy Boccella of the Abington Community Library.
She added they had kicked around the idea of a holiday marketplace before but director Leah Rudolph said the need for funding made it necessary now.
"That's quite a large number for anybody to absorb over the course of a year and we'd already taken another cut the previous year. So between those cuts, it was necessary to take on an additional fundraiser," Rudolph explained.
Local vendors will be there with their one-of-a-kind merchandise. There's even a gift-wrapping table and it will be free to get in.
The library is hardly alone in its struggle to keep up.
Officials at the Lackawanna County Children's Library in Scranton are also planning their first ever fundraiser.
"We thought, it's close to the holidays why don't we have a bake sale. We'll have hot chocolate, baked goods and people can buy for their holiday tables if they want," said Laureen Maloney of the library.
The bake sale will be held at the library on Saturday, November 21, the day of the Jaycees Santa Parade in downtown Scranton.
In the case of both of those libraries the directors said they are grateful so many of their patrons stepped up to help.
You can see a few examples for yourself in the coming weekends in Lackawanna County.
The first thing you see when you walk in the door of the Abington Community Library in Clarks Summit isn't books, at least not for now.
It's baskets that are being raffled off by library officials and that's just the start of what they have planned for the place.
Next weekend, November 13 and 14, you will be able to shop there too.
"From knitted scarves to handmade jewelry, wooden bowls and cutting boards, children's clothes, chocolate treats. Many different things," said Dorothy Boccella of the Abington Community Library.
She added they had kicked around the idea of a holiday marketplace before but director Leah Rudolph said the need for funding made it necessary now.
"That's quite a large number for anybody to absorb over the course of a year and we'd already taken another cut the previous year. So between those cuts, it was necessary to take on an additional fundraiser," Rudolph explained.
Local vendors will be there with their one-of-a-kind merchandise. There's even a gift-wrapping table and it will be free to get in.
The library is hardly alone in its struggle to keep up.
Officials at the Lackawanna County Children's Library in Scranton are also planning their first ever fundraiser.
"We thought, it's close to the holidays why don't we have a bake sale. We'll have hot chocolate, baked goods and people can buy for their holiday tables if they want," said Laureen Maloney of the library.
The bake sale will be held at the library on Saturday, November 21, the day of the Jaycees Santa Parade in downtown Scranton.
In the case of both of those libraries the directors said they are grateful so many of their patrons stepped up to help.
