A GoFundMe account has been set up for the literacy hub of the Northern Lehigh School District area.

The fundraiser for the Slatington Public Library was set up Sept. 3 by the Slatington Public Library Inc.

Contributions toward the library can be made at gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/slatington-library-eyes-on-the-future.

At press time, $5,235 of the $15,000 building improvement goal had been raised.

The fundraiser was set up to help the library with building repairs and upgrades, according to library Director Rosanne Pugh.

Pugh said that right now, the library’s main focus is the installation of an elevator to make the library ADA compliant.

“We do have an old freight elevator, but the only way we can get up to the second floor right now is to walk up and down the steps, and the staff is getting older now, and the board thought before anybody falls, they thought it would be a good idea to put the elevator back in place since the freight elevator is still here,” Pugh said. “A lot of books we used to keep on the first floor we now keep on the second floor, so an elevator would be a lot easier for the people that carry the books up.”

Pugh said the library has a $45,000 grant from the Trexler Foundation, as well as a $10,000 anonymous donation, to get started.

Other projects include having bricks repointed and sealed, some water damage repaired, and also some repainting and rewiring.

Pugh said the goal is for that work to be done through grants the library plans to apply for at a later date.

“We just ask that people continue to give donations, not just to our library, but all libraries,” she said. “Everybody is struggling with fundraising because of the pandemic.”

Constructed in 1897, the library is located along Main Street in the historic district of Slatington.

Visitors can come to borrow books, magazines, DVDs or audiotapes. There are also public computers with free internet access as well as a quiet place to study.

Additionally, there are many free programs and services that truly benefit those in the community who are less fortunate.

For those who prefer to use technology at home, the library has eBooks and eMagazines, along with internet applications including a regional online card catalog and Rosetta Stone.

Plus, there are many more programs for adults and children, and everything is free with a free library card.