The Purchase Free Library, a small library that serves the Purchase area of the town of Harrison, may lose its lease and find itself homeless.
The library occupies a space in the Purchase Community House, which is operated by The Purchase Community Inc. The community house hosts the Purchase Day Camp and other recreational activities. The library has been a tenant at the building, which dates to 1926, for more than 60 years.
A representative at the community house directed the Business Journal to a message on the group”™s website, which said its board of directors was considering not renewing the library”™s lease due to safety concerns for campers.
“The Library has a long history of dedicated service to this community,” the letter stated. “Unlike the Community House, however, the Library is a public facility and, as such, is less able to restrict entry or remove a visitor from its leased premises even if that visitor appears to have no specific business at the Library.”
The message praised the work of the library but called it an “incompatible tenant.” The library responded by starting an online petition calling for the lease to be renewed. It has nearly 500 signatures as of this posting.
An emailed message from Linda Smith of the library said the circulation of children”™s materials has more than doubled since 2000, despite a 7 percent decrease of children 14 and younger in the area from 2000 to 2010. Total circulation for all ages increased almost 100 percent, the letter said.
“Closing a library is a grave situation and more often seen and done in communities with residents that cannot economically support the library,” the letter said. “This is not the case in Purchase.”
The Purchase library operates independently of the Harrison Public Library, which has branches in the other two geographic areas of town: Harrison and West Harrison.
