Adams County Library System Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
231352002
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Gettysburg, PA, USA
Phone
7173340163
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,758,337
Expenses
$3,009,967
Assets
$13,968,692
Liabilities
$1,089,778

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HEIDI GILLIS (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MIRANDA WISOR (EXECUTIVE DI): $81,555 total reported compensation
  • JEFFREY CANN (FINANCE DIRE): $78,697 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of the adams county library system (acls) is to connect people to opportunities that enrich their lives through the core values of stewardship, excellence and trustworthiness. The acls provides programming that centers on early literacy skills as well as creative education for children and teens. Events feature hands-on- activities, entertainment and learning activities. Summer programs are offered inspiring children to read and learn year-round. Services for adults include access to resources that foster learning, promote personal growth and cultivate community connections. Adult programs create educational and recreational opportunities for young adults through seniors. In 2025, pa forward awarded acls a gold level rating (the highest rating) for library programming. The six acls facilities are located throughout adams county so that library service is decentralized. A library is located in each of the six adams county school district areas making local library services a

What it reported doing in 2025

The adams county library system (acls)provides library facilities and services in six locations serving the 108,033 adams county residents. The acls is dedicated to connecting people to opportunities that will enrich their lives through free access to materials, technology and educational and entertaining programs. The system headquarters in gettysburg provides materials, technology and all other support services to the branch libraries located in biglerville, carroll valley, east berlin, littlestown and new oxford. As a free public library, the adams county library system provides a physical and digital collection of over 189,000 items including physical books, dvds and books on cds, as well as electronic books, eaudio books and streamable movies and tv shows. Our collection also includes games, tools, puzzles, sporting goods, art and craft kits and various other household items that may be borrowed. Assistance from professional staff is available to all ages including help to access reliable information and readers' advisory services. Technology in the form of subscription data bases, access to the internet through public access computers and free public wireless access and a robust schedule of public programs for all ages are offered at all library facilities. Early literacy programs are offered so that children enter school with the skills they need to succeed. Elementary through high school aged children are offered science technology engineering art mathematics ste(a)m as well as other informational and creative programming, book clubs, computer access and assistance gaining the information they require. Book discussions, author visits, lecture series and hands-on programs are offered for adults of all ages, as is assistance in locating desired information from reliable sources. In 2025, 110 volunteers offered 3,256.60 hours of their time to help with programs, special events, technical services, public services and serve on the library board of trustees. Over 860 individuals and organizations made contributions to support and recognize the value of library services to our community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and some filed totals do not add up.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 70
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 71.6%; rating input score 72
  • Program expense ratio: 83%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $28.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 19.9%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.64; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.3%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 71.6% of revenue deployed · 83% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $82K · 17 people listed
  • Consistency: 36 of 37 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.