Local Author Fair Brings Union County Writers and Readers Together

The Public Library for Union County held a Local Author Fair on Thursday, December 4 in the library Community Room, bringing together local writers and readers for a two hour afternoon event. Authors representing fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children literature met attendees, discussed their work and sold books directly, with sales handled by the authors themselves. The library posted a short URL, bit.ly/AuthorFairPLUC, listing participating writers and giving visitors a way to preview offerings before attending.

Organized as part of the Mifflinburg community calendar of December activities, the author fair ran alongside seasonal programs that included a West End Library raffle, cookies and cocoa with Santa and area church concerts and open houses. The placement on the borough calendar reflects coordination between the library and local civic programming efforts, positioning the library event within a broader schedule of community engagement during the holiday period.

For local authors the fair provided direct market access and immediate revenue, bypassing third party retailers and allowing writers to cultivate local followings. For residents the event offered low cost opportunities to encounter a range of voices and to buy books in person. Because sales were conducted by authors, proceeds flowed directly to creators and did not represent library fundraising revenue, an important distinction for public accounting and for voters considering municipal or library funding in budget decisions.

The event also underscores the policy questions facing Union County municipal leaders and voters. Libraries functioning as gathering places for cultural and economic activity can be a tangible measure of public investment in literacy, small creative enterprises and civic life. Decisions at the local ballot box about library budgets or municipal support affect programming capacity, staffing and outreach that enable author events and other community services.

The author fair demonstrated how a single library program can touch cultural, economic and civic priorities. For residents weighing local funding choices, the fair offered an example of the direct community benefits generated when public institutions prioritize accessible cultural programming.