The Hellertown Area Library is officially under new leadership, and its new director will likely be a familiar face to many in the community.
Ali Finkbeiner was introduced as the library’s new director at Monday night’s Hellertown Borough Council meeting.
Councilman Andrew Hughes said Finkbeiner has seven years of direct library experience and has been working at the Parkland Community Library in South Whitehall Township since 2021.
“Ali is very outgoing and truly enjoys interacting with others,” Hughes said. “She is a past HAL staff and board member. She is formally educated as a Librarian, has seven years of direct library experience and has been working at the Parkland Community Library since 2021. She understands our community, HAL’s situation and is aligned with its goals. She also recognizes and accepts that this role has its limitations. She possesses a network of other librarians who will eagerly work with and support her.”
Finkbeiner had a chance to introduce herself publicly in her new position.
“I’d like to publicly thank the staff, past and present, who in spite of many challenges and transitions never stopped providing excellent library services to our community,” she said.
Among the challenges the library has faced in the past few years was a bitter split between the borough and Lower Saucon Township over a library services agreement the then-township council rejected in early 2022. The library’s revenue was significantly reduced following the split, and lawsuits that still remain unresolved were filed. With the election of a new majority on Lower Saucon Township Council last year, however, efforts have been underway to restore a partnership between the municipalities with a focus on ultimately returning the township’s library services to HAL.
In her remarks to council Monday, Finkbeiner stressed that the library is about more than just books; it serves as an essential community hub.
“There is no better example of this than the Hellertown Area Library–a library that is filled with passion and love for the community it serves,” she said. “The staff and myself look forward to moving the library ahead in a positive direction–never losing forward to what matters most to our mission–our community.”
For more information about the Hellertown Area Library, and to subscribe to the library’s newsletter, visit HellertownLibrary.org.
In other business, council approved a motion to allow whichever organization staffs the Dimmick Park pavilion for Music in the Park summer concerts and solicits for donations to keep the donations they fundraised.
The next Hellertown Borough Council meeting is scheduled to be held Monday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall and online. Meetings are livestreamed and broadcast via Facebook live, with recordings of past meetings available for viewing on the borough’s Facebook page. Agendas are available for review prior to the meetings via the borough website.
