It's possible in the future that patrons of the Coplay Public Library may visit to find the doors locked.

At their Oct. 10 meeting, members of the library board discussed the possibility of temporary closures due to a shortage of staff or volunteers.

As part of a cost-cutting measure, the board decided over the summer to allow no more than two of the five women on staff to work at one time. In order to cover all of the library's hours, the board is attempting to schedule some shifts with one staff person and one volunteer.

"One of the things I do want to talk about right now as it relates to schedules, though, is the situation that occurred this week," said library board President Janet Eisenhauer. "The volunteer that was supposed to come in at 10 a.m. called in and said they couldn't make it."

This left one person working in the library. Even in cases where two staff are scheduled, illness or personal emergencies could leave one employee working alone.

"The library did open but this did come up at the staff meeting," said Eisenhauer. "It does bring up a point. What if we can't find somebody for a period of time? I do think we need to think about what direction we want to give the staff if that occurs."

Board member Karen Shields said she believes two people should be working in the library at all times and, if two are not available, the library should close "for safety's sake."

Board member Joan Witco said the board should not rush to close the library because a replacement worker could be found within the hour.

"We have to remember people are paying for this library. We can't take a privilege away," she said.

If patrons are in the library when a worker winds up alone, it's not fair to chase them out, said board member Jane Gillespie.

Board member Faye Schreiner agreed. "You can't really close it then," she said.

Shields suggested employees who find themselves working alone unexpectedly call a board member to report the situation.

"If you're uncomfortable working at that library at any time, call the police department," said board member Charles Sodl.

"We really need to continue to advertise, advertise, advertise for volunteers," said Eisenhauer. "I don't know how else to stress this. We need volunteers to help us out. It would be a great help to our budget and a great help to the staff."

She said she would speak to senior citizens' groups in order to recruit volunteers and asked for suggestions for other ways to find people.

Gillespie suggested asking Coplay's three churches to run a notice in their bulletins. A notice should also be placed in the borough newsletter.

Interim Director Maryrose Farquhar said notices have been posted on Facebook and Twitter.

Witco suggested posting notices on community bulletin boards.

Volunteers would take on tasks such as shelving books, cataloguing, cleaning, decorating, making signs or even assisting with the computers, said Eisenhauer. They would work alongside staff during the library's regular hours of 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Resident Keri Kromer said her daughter, who is 12, would be interested in volunteering.

In response to a question from Witco, Sodl and Eisenhauer said a minor would not count as the second person on duty.

Anyone interested in volunteering at the library should call 610-262-7351.