The Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library celebrate a long wished for and advocated development: the return of Saturday hours at our local branch library. Beginning Oct. 18, the library was staffed and open for business on Saturdays.

The Chestnut Hill branch has for years been understaffed and too often closed, particularly during the hours when working folks and kids actually have the time and ability to get there, including weekends. We celebrate this turn of events and the attention to our pleas from the City Council and Mayor, especially our own representative, Councilmember Cindy Bass. Councilmember Bass is now expediting the creation of an Advance our Libraries Coalition. Thanks also to Free Library of Philadelphia Director Kelly Richards for making this a priority and expediting this change.

Please consider the necessity of continued and constant advocacy. Please visit and utilize this tremendous community resource so that it is not ever again taken away for lack of care and use. In this time, when so many feel disempowered or even disenfranchised, here is an example of advocacy working in a place where it really matters: literacy and lifelong learning. Join the Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library to continue the fight.

Please join us for the first meeting of the Advance Our Libraries Coalition, a new citywide effort dedicated to strengthening and expanding Philadelphia’s public library system.

Libraries are more than buildings filled with books — they are safe spaces for children, hubs for lifelong learning, technology access points, and vital anchors in our neighborhoods. Yet, too often, our libraries face underfunding, inconsistent staffing, and reduced hours, limiting their ability to serve our communities.

The Advance Our Libraries Coalition is bringing together parents, educators, community leaders, advocates, and neighbors to ensure reliable funding and staffing for every library branch; expand programming that supports students, families, job seekers, and seniors in addition to creating new programming that attracts visitors and revenue; highlighting the essential role libraries play in advancing equity, opportunity, and civic engagement.

The first meeting of our coalition will be held on Oct. 29 at 3 p.m at the Chestnut Hill Library, 8711 Germantown Ave.

We believe that when libraries thrive, communities thrive. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing opportunities to get involved, add your voice, and join in collective action to secure the future of Philadelphia’s libraries.

We invite you to stand with us in this effort. Together, we can ensure our libraries remain strong, accessible, and ready to serve every neighborhood.

Jan LeSuer

President, Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library