Amanda Gabeletto, director of Monongahela Area Library, is ready for the solar eclipse.

Photograph by Matt Petras

 

“I’ll tell you something that really made my heart swell up,” said Amanda Gabeletto, the director for the Monongahela Area Library.

She once made visits to local schools to talk about the library and brought along the library’s costumed mascot, Fetch. Gabeletto hoped to make an impression on the students, and something that happened since then made her think she accomplished that goal.

“Later on, we were in the Halloween parade, and Fetch was in the back, and I could hear the kids screaming and yelling his name. And I was just like, ‘they didn’t know his name before,’” Gabeletto said. “It was just really great that they connected that and they knew that and they recognize him now. [It’s important to make] those connections, for the kids especially, because those are the ones who grow up in the library, and then they want to take care of the library when they’re adults.”

In the two years Gabeletto has lovingly run the library, she has become a beloved figure in the community due to her dedication to helping people discover a love for reading and, in general, becoming better people.

Gabeletto started as the director in March of 2022, following the worst stretch of the COVID-19 pandemic. As director, Gabeletto shores up funding, schedules events and participates hands-on in programming. She has five employees at the library, located at 813 West Main Street.

Before, Gabeletto worked for years in journalism and social media in addition to work in the corporate realm. Her mother, knowing she loved reading and wanted to help people, informed her that the library in Monongahela needed a new director. She decided to take the job and, in conjunction, has been completing a master’s degree online through PennWest Clarion.

“I wanted to serve,” Gabeletto said. “Where I was before was a corporate job. It was making money for a company. And I just have a servant’s heart. I wanted to give back and do some good in the world.”

She instantly fell in love with the library but after a honeymoon phase realized just how difficult and involved running a library can be.

“There is a lot of compromise and sacrifice, so it’s not that new, fresh romantic love, it’s like a commitment that you’re really trying to nurture. And you have to choose it, every day,” Gabeletto said. “You have to choose to show up. You have to choose to come here and love the library and do that for your community.”

The top challenge is securing funding – the library’s funding comes primarily from Pennsylvania state funds as opposed to local municipalities, according to Gabeletto. The library serves Monongahela, Carroll Township, Union Township, New Eagle, Finleyville, Nottingham Township and the Ringgold School District but doesn't yet receive funding from all of those sources.

“It’s never easy to talk to anyone about money and ask for money and need money, so you have to learn to get comfortable with that and know that why you’re doing it is for the library and to keep these kinds of programs and things that we offer going,” Gabeletto said.

Libraries have drastically evolved in the past few decades. Books used to be the clear star of the show, but now, libraries act more as community hubs providing social services and a gathering space for residents. The library has an extensive and diverse collection of books, but it also offers programming that has nothing to do with books, including computer skills classes. She loves helping those who come into the library.

“When you help solve a problem, even if it’s something as small as them getting their driver’s registration printed out for them, and they don’t have to worry about it anymore, they’re just so appreciative,” Gabeletto said.

Gabeletto still champions reading, though. Personally, she loves romances, mysteries and thrillers and picks “The Secret Life of Bees” as her favorite book, she said. She started an “Anything Goes Book Club,” in which folks can come in and discuss anything they’re reading, something she participates in and enjoys.

She loves the people served by the library and really hopes the library continues to be supported by its community, including those kids who cheered at the parade.

“It’s everything,” Gabeletto said. “If your community does not support your library, it’s just so sad. You want an equal partnership with your community so that you guys can thrive together. Because if you have a library that’s thriving in your town, you’re doing good.”

- Matt Petras