Through foresight and dedication, Mercer County Library was established in 1926, using one room in the courthouse and operated by volunteers.

In 1954, a 9-cent county tax was voted to establish a separate library in the former Buren house on South Broadway.

Twelve years later, through the generosity of the late Frank Lowry and his wife, Chloe Kauffman Lowry, a 3,360 square foot building was constructed in 1966 on 601 West Grant Street.

The library operated on the 9-cent tax from 1954 until 1989, when at the peak of economic declilne in Mercer County, county residents stepped forward and voted an 11-cent library tax increase, making a 20-cent tax levy from 1989 to present.

In 2011, a 3,360 square foot addition was built in order to double the size of the original building. This was made possible through stimulus money that was funded through the USDA-Rural Development in the form of a $238,000 grant; a USDA loan of $90,000; and $325,000 of Mercer County Library's money that was accumulated through the years of generous donations, memorial gifts, fund-raising and investments.

The staff of Mercer County Library is proud to announce that the library is doing well, running on grants and county tax support, a levy which has not increased since 1989. Many of the machines and materials for the library have been purchased with federal grants received throughout the years.

Open Meeting Policy

The public is invited to attend all meetings of the Mercer County Library Board of Trustees
except those that are designated as a closed session. Meetings are always on the second Monday
of each month at 3:00 p.m. The agenda will be posted on the exterior door at least 24 hours in
advance.
Residents of Mercer County or Mercer County Library card holders of the library are welcome to
address comments to the Board as set forth below.
? Those wishing to address the Board of Trustees must submit a request in writing at least
48 Business hours prior to the meeting.
? Request forms are available at the Library Director's office.
? All public comment forms, regardless of whether the person chooses to speak or
not, will be added to the public record and will be distributed to all Board
members.

? Public comment is allowed in person at every board meeting and is included as an agenda
item. Unless otherwise noted on the agenda.
? All comments must pertain to the Mercer County Library.
? Priority will be given to
1. Residents of Mercer County who are active Mercer County Library Card Holders.
2. Residents of Mercer County.
3. All other individuals wishing to address the board.
? Each person desiring to be heard, when recognized by the Presiding Officer, shall first
state their name and address before commenting.
? Public comment is limited to three minutes per person unless otherwise directed by the
Presiding Officer. Speakers may not transfer time to other individuals. The total time for
public comment will be 15 minutes.
? At no time will the board hear personnel comments during the public comment portion of
a business meeting.
? The Presiding Officer shall rule “out of order” all comments which are off topic,
repetitious, derogatory of persons, or which include language or behavior that is
unlawful.
? The Presiding Officer shall allocate no more than thirty minutes to this part of the agenda.
These rules may be suspended by motion and majority vote of the Board.
? The Board of Trustees does not generally respond to public comments during the
meeting.

MERCER COUNTY LIBRARY

Public comment at Board Meeting request form

Date: ______________________________________________________________________
To: Presiding Officer and Member of the Board of Trustees
I would like to speak to the board about the following:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Name: ____________________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________________
Phone Number: _____________________________________________________
Email Address: _____________________________________________________
The Mercer County Library Board of Trustees meets at 3:00 pm p.m. the second Monday of the
month. The public is invited to attend all meetings, except for those designated as closed
sessions. Meeting agendas are posted on the exterior door at least 24 hours in advance.
Residents of the library district or members of the library may address the Board during the
Public comment section of the meeting, provided they submit a written request 48 business hours
prior to the board meeting. Request forms are available in the Library Director’s Office during
regular business hours. Filled out request forms will be added to the public record and will be
distributed to all Board members.
Individuals appearing before the Board will be limited to three minutes’ speaking time and may
not be transferred to other individuals. Comments which are off topic, repetitious, derogatory of
persons, or which include language or behavior that is unlawful will be ruled “out of order”. A
maximum of thirty minutes may be allowed for this part of the agenda.

ADOPTED 8/14/2023