People in McKeesport saw what happened in Duquesne when they lost their library because of the lack of funding. I would get envelopes with a dollar in them. The residents didn't want to lose their library.

The building was in bad shape. It needed a new roof and wiring. It was a monumental event when we got appropriate wiring and cabling. We went from a manual typewriter to a computer.

This is one of Andrew Carnegie's original libraries. It opened in 1902. It has always been a library and by the 1980s, when the steel mills were shutting down, we were able to hang on by the skin of our teeth. From 1985 to the early 1990s, we were struggling to keep the doors open.

We were able to survive on sheer willpower. Everyone in McKeesport knows I have no pride when it comes to begging for money for the library. We've come up with some unique ways to raise money, such as basket raffles. You have to come up with creative ways to continue programming.

That's one issue that people haven't really recognized. This isn't about helping people upgrade technology. It's just about keeping what you have working when it stops working not through any fault of the electronics or the consumer, but through a government action.

We've gotten to a level where the price is beginning to impinge on economic growth. People are starting to worry about a slowdown.