The Butler Public Library is not just supported by volunteers’ hard work, it survives because of their efforts.

“If we had to fill all the spots volunteers help us (with paid employees), we could never afford it,” said director Lori Campbell.

The library was opened by a literary club in 1894 and has been at its current location, 218 N. McKean St., since 1921.

It has more than 60 regular volunteers, compared with 10 paid employees, and usually at least five volunteers are working at any given time.

The volunteers shelve books, prepare them for shelving by adding bar codes, deliver books and multimedia to homebound patrons, write and distribute mailings, rotate the library’s magazines and help at the desk, just to name a few duties.

“We even have one gentleman that does all of our handyman work,” Campbell said.

Aside from library tasks, volunteers are responsible for research in the library genealogy department, organizing children’s programming and leading young adult discussion groups.

“It’s the most fulfilling part of my week. My work is so intense and focused. Here, it’s lighthearted and fun,” Ellen Gorbuny said.

Gorbuny, who has volunteered at the library for about four years, is a licensed social worker with a private practice in counseling. She lives in Butler Township with her husband and has two college-aged children.

“I have been a member of the library since 1979, and I thought it would be nice to give back,” she said.

Gorbuny volunteers every Friday, working as a desk clerk, phoning patrons whose reserved books have arrived, shelving books and, occasionally, dispensing advice on topics she is familiar with.

“Those people don’t know my line of work. I think they just think people who work in libraries know a lot,” Gorbuny says with a chuckle.

“There have been some great patrons who have thanked me for being so helpful.”

Of course, volunteering at a library has other rewards, too. Gorbuny said she delights in having first choice among newly released books and movies.

Gorbuny lists exercise and knitting as her passions, along with reading. She has been a member of the Butler County Family YMCA since she moved to Butler from Pittsburgh in 1979 and has loads of information on each topic at her fingertips.

“It puts a nice ending on my work week,” Gorbuny said of her library efforts.

Volunteers are vital because so little of the library’s funding is available after programming, building upkeep and collection updates.

“We are always looking to expand our services and programs according to what our patrons want,” Campbell said.

In particular, she said, the library would like to expand its adult services, such as book clubs and discussion groups.

The library recently added a self-service coffee counter.

The library gleans about 20 percent of its $566,000 annual operating budget through fundraisers such as its Second Century campaign.

Though it raised $117,903 in 2007, the campaign yielded only $73,676 in 2008 as patrons clung more tightly to their pocketbooks during the economic downturn.

Another 20 percent of the library budget comes from state aid, while the rest is supplied by donors, municipal contributions, competitive grants and the city. The library received $30,337 from Butler in 2009. That money comes from the city’s library tax.

“It’s tough right now. There is a lot of competition between nonprofit organizations trying to raise that elusive cash,” said Randy Fox, director of development for the library.

Patrons checked out more than 238,000 items in 2008, including books, compact discs and DVDs.

“That’s a lot of demand on the services we offer,” Fox said.

And that number does not include the countless hours donated to the library’s children’s summer reading program, attended by more than 1,000 children every year, its creative writing workshop or its English-as-a-second-language instruction.

“There is a wealth of activities volunteers can be involved in, and we are always looking for capable volunteers,” Fox said.

The Butler Public Library ranks 12th in size, based on holdings, among libraries in the Pittsburgh area. The seven-county area includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.Despite its size, however, the Butler library ranks fourth in cardholding patrons, according to a survey published in 2008 by Duquesne University.Randy Fox, director of development for the library, attributed the library’s high usage to its multiple resources and its location in the county seat.Here are the top four libraries, ranked by cardholding patrons, in Southwestern Pennsylvania:1. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh — 244,6942. Northland Public Library, Allegheny County — 37,6633. Monroeville Public Library, Allegheny County — 34,325<b>4. Butler Public Library — 27,368</b>

<b>Address: </b>218 N. McKean St.<b>Services: </b>Provides books, compact discs, magazines and DVDs<b>Volunteers: </b>60<b>Director: </b>Lori Campbell<b>Budget: </b>$566,000 a year