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ALLENSVILLE - The Allensville branch of the Mifflin County Library has been closed for over a week now due to an unfortunate guest that is causing frustration for library employees, local residents and the Menno Township Supervisors, who own the building.

It remains unclear whether the skunk actually entered the building; however one thing is clear - the smell is coming from inside and outside the library.

"The smell is overpowering," Mifflin County Library Director Carol Veitch said.

"All I know is I opened the door yesterday and - whoosh- the smell hit and I was closing the door fast," Allensville Branch Manager Charlotte Fogg said.

"It's sort of funny but also serious," Veitch said.

"Right now they can't catch the little critter ... they're trying everything they can think of," Fogg said of the help they are receiving from the Menno Township Board of Supervisors.

"They have always been really good to us," Fogg said of how the township pays for the electricity. "It's got to be frustrating for them," she added.

Menno Township Supervisor Harold Johnson Jr. said there is a professional trapper "working on it," however Johnson remains convinced the skunk was never in the building.

Johnson said he thinks the skunk was in the area outside near a ventilation unit, which would explain why the smell is both inside and outside the library.

At this point, said Fogg, the library closure is an ongoing inconvenience that she hopes can be worked out soon because the local community needs the resources available at the library.

Fogg said many of her patrons use the library computer to access Career Link for job searches because they are unable to make the trip to the Mifflin County Career Link office or another library.

In addition, Fogg said the library hosts many home-schooled children, as well some elderly patrons who are unable to travel very far.