A volunteer-based community group has expressed interest in taking over management of the Samuel A. Weiss Public Library in Glassport.

The Citizens of Glassport Parks & Recreation Association says it would like to oversee daily operations of the library, its programs and budget.

The library, located in the borough municipal building on Monongahela Avenue, is now run by the Women's Club of Glassport. The club recently notified the borough that it wanted to give up control of the library at the end of the year, prompting the citizen's association to submit a letter to council offering to take over the facility.

Council members have received the letter but have not taken action.

Association President Doug Sicchitano said his group would like to prevent the community landmark from closing and make it a library more people would use.

"There is a computer in there but it doesn't work. The books are outdated. Generally, I don't think it's used much at all," he said. Mr. Sicchitano said his group is prepared to present a formal strategic plan for the library if council indicates it is interested in their plan.

At present, the library is only open on Tuesday evenings for 2 1/2 hours. Women's club members said they have trouble finding people to work at the facility, which was founded in 1960 and still uses an old fashioned card catalog to keep track of materials. Many members of the women's group are elderly and their number has thinned over the years.

"It's hard to get somebody to come and help," said club member Betty Gaydos, who volunteers at the library. She said the library gets few patrons. "Sometimes we're full but otherwise we only get one or two people an evening."

If council supports the association's offer to take over the library, Mr. Sicchitano said, his group will try to gain funding by applying for membership in the Allegheny County Library Association.

Glassport Mayor Terry DiMarco said he isn't sure trying to keep the library open is a good idea.

Given that so few people use the facility the one day it's open a week, he said, "All we're doing is wasting electricity" by keeping it open.

The mayor said the area is already served by weekly visits from the Allegheny County Bookmobile and that there are questions about the future of the municipal building in which the library is located.

Borough officials have considered moving their meeting area from an upstairs room in the building to the ground level library, he said. They've also thought about abandoning the old building altogether. Mr. DiMarco said the borough should determine what it wants to do with respect to the building before it makes a decision about the library.

Nevertheless, whatever does become of the library, Mr. DiMarco said, "It should be done through council, not an outside group."