MARS — The public library here will use a state Department of Education grant to assess library needs.

Adams Township will receive the $9,100 grant, which the township will then match before forwarding the $18,200 total to the Mars Public Library.

Library director Vincent Gadrix said that while he has not received official word on the grant award from Commonwealth Libraries, which administers the Keystone grants, he is excited.

“It’s huge,” Gadrix said.

He said the grant will be used to complete a long-term facilities evaluation for the library.

Gadrix said library officials have hired consultant Richard Bowra of Hammel Associates in Lancaster County to evaluate the library and present recommendations to the library board. He said the evaluation will likely begin at the end of the month, and take four to five months.

The evaluation will complement the library’s five-year strategic plan, which was done at the end of December, Gadrix said. The plan includes a look into how the library will meet the needs of its patrons.

Gadrix said the explosion in residential growth in Adams Township, plus the addition of planned residential developments in Middlesex Township, has caused an increase in library cards issued, and attendance at events has increased by about 10 percent each year.

“It’s a good problem to have, but that’s a concern for us,” Gadrix said. “We have more and more people coming into the building so we want to make sure we have a building that accommodates these increases in numbers.”

He said the consultant’s recommendations could include a move to a larger building since expansion opportunities at the current building at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Clark Street would be limited.

“Our consultant will evaluate our current location to see if it is going to meet the growing needs of our clients in the coming years,” Gadrix said.

Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-21st, announced the grant this week.