About $52,500 of state and district aid has been cut from the Schlow Centre Region Library’s funding, library officials said.

The cuts are crippling the library’s resources, and in trying economic times, library director Catherine Alloway said she fears the changes are permanent.

In response to these drastic cutbacks, Alloway has looked to the community for support.

Downtown State College Improvement District Director Jody Alessandrine said he hopes those who are considering supporting the library should contribute as much as possible to the effort.

“Schlow has been consistently able to operate and be realistic with their resources,” he said. “We all know what an integral part of the community it is.”

But the future continues to look bleak. Despite generous contributions from community members, operating costs for the library are on the rise, making the budget cuts even more disturbing.

The contributions only make up for this year’s cuts, not for future losses, Alloway said, and the library cannot expect people to consistently donate.

Now Schlow is looking for other ways to increase funding. Ideas include opening the library parking lot in the evening to downtown restaurant goers and shoppers.

Additionally, those who attend universities other than Penn State and use the library could be charged a fee to cover the cost of library staff members who serve as exam proctors, Alloway said.

But until the fundraising replenishes library funding, Schlow officials have had to cut back on purchasing new materials including books and electronic databases.

In addition, two employees have been laid off due to the budget cuts.

Many of these visitors are Penn State students who take advantage of the quiet study space because it is more convenient than the Pattee and Paterno Libraries on campus. Nicolette Gengel (senior-biology) said she enjoys studying in the Schlow facility for just that reason.

“It’s a nice, quiet place to study,” Gengel said.

And library users may see changes as Schlow officials struggle to overcome financial obstacles.

“Consequently I feel right now the library is at the lowest possible staffing for the hours we have,” Alloway said.

“We just don’t have enough bodies to help people in finding things.”