Darby Free Library

43
Alexandrea Glenn Patrick Elliot Paul Bishop Jen Parkhurst-Skala

Transcript of Darby Free Library

Page 1: Darby Free Library

Alexandrea GlennPatrick ElliotPaul BishopJen Parkhurst-Skala

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Image: Borders, 2014

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The Library Company of Philadelphia was created by Benjamin Franklin and a group of peers.

Image: 2014, Philadelphia Library

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Franklin stated that the Library Company of Philadelphia was “The mother of all subscription libraries.”

Image: Etters, 1835

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The Darby Library is the oldest off-spring of the Library Company of Philadelphia.

On March 10, 1743 a group of Quaker farms and merchants organized the Darby Library, one of America’s first public libraries.

The books were kept in the home of the first librarian, John Person.

(

S. Borders, personal communication, October 22, 2014)Home of John Person, the first librarian ;

the books were kept in this home.

Image: Borders, 2014

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Original book from John Bartram personal collection that he donated to the library in 1743

Image: Borders, 2014

Forty Five volumes of books from Lawrence Williams in London were purchased.

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The Darby Library was a members-only library. The cost was $3.00 per year to belong.

If a volume was not returned borrowers were required to pay one and one-half times the value.

Fine ranged from 3 – 6 pence.

Meetings were held in member homes at “two o'clock in the afternoon.”

6 pence

Image: Coins, 2014

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Location Changes

As the number of volumes increased the library moved to another house and then to the second floor of the Sipler’sSaddle Shop on Main Street.

Sipler’s Saddle Shop, third location.

Second Location of the Darby Library

Image: Borders, 2014

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In 1872 a fire tore through the town prompting residents to find a safe home for the library.

In three months $8,895.54 was raised to build the Darby Library Hall, with an apartment for the librarian Image: Borders, 2014

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In 1898 the library was offered a 1,000 book donation by Richard Cook but, the library had to become free and open to the public.

At this request the library became free and open to the public.

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Darby Library improved its collections over the years and in 1939 expanded the juvenile collection.

1940 was proclaimed by Chester Times to have the most complete collection of publications about the history of the borough and Delaware County.

1941 collection passed 11,000 and services now included story time.

1942 library closes every Saturday during the winter months to conserve fuel.

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Many improvements were made in the 1980’s including delivery of materials to patrons, day care centers, and school visits.

Delaware County Library System was created; this combined twenty six individual libraries in Delaware County. The goal was to optimize library service to the citizens of Delaware County. This created an online catalog of over 1.4 million titles.

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A 2-mill tax referendum in 1990 was supported by the people of the Darby borough, which helped the library tremendously.

A 1996 referendum failed and the library began losing its financial security.

Hurricane Floyd hit the Borough of Darby in 1999 destroying many of the archives.

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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania made a 30% cut to funding in 2009. Donations and investments were down, in part due to the Great Recession.

At a board meeting the same year, it was announced that unless funding increased the library would stop providing service at the end of the year.

This announcement was heard throughout the US and donations arrived from all over the country.

However, it was the residents of Darby Borough that kept the library running by doubling their tax support.

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Tax contributions (Library Fund) still make up the largest part of the library’s modest budget today.

(S. Borders, personal communications, October 2014)

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The Darby Free Library continues to operate on a modest budget of $80, 591 a year.

The institution has seen substantial cuts to staff in recent years, and currently employs only 5 part-time employees.

Even still, payroll makes up the largest strain on the budget, accounting for $60,500 annually.

(S. Borders, personal communications, October 2014)

Image: Wirtz, 2014

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Five part-time employees are not enough to keep the library operational.

To remedy this, the Darby Free Library cooperates with a federal program and local universities to supplement its limited staffing.

Thanks to this, it receives additional staff without the need to pay them from its own budget.

(S. Borders, personal communications, October 2014)

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The program is called the Senior Community Service Employee Program.

It aims to give senior citizens seeking employment opportunities to earn income in their communities.

Thanks to the program, two senior citizens have been added to the Darby’s workforce, contributing 20 hours a week.

Their salary is paid not by the library, but by the federal government.

(S. Borders, personal communications, October 2014)

Image: SCSEP Logo, 2014

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The library also gets help from local students.

Two college students work at the library 15 hours a week under a university program.

That brings the sum of hours worked by non-library staff at Darby to a total of 70 hours a week.

Without such help, the library would be faced with more cuts to staff or services.

(S. Borders, personal communications, October 2014)

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Darby’s director, Susan Borders, says the library owes its continued survival partly to these kinds of cost-cutting efforts.

(S. Borders, personal communications, October 2014)

Image: Castaldi, 2014

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The Darby’s website exemplifies the institution’s ability to operate under limited resources (http://www.darbylibrary.org/).

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The library currently can only afford to host its site on a free web publishing platform.

While Darby deserves a more professional, capable website, the money to create and maintain one simply is not there.

Instead, current funds must be used for essential library services and costs.

(S. Borders, personal communications, October 2014)

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However, money issues arise from the qualifications Pennsylvania libraries must meet to receive state aid.

To qualify, they are required to dedicate certain percentages of their budgets to specific services and departments.

(S. Borders, personal communications, October 2014)

Image: Seal of Pennsylvania, 2014

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According to the director, Sue Borders, Darby cannot afford to follow these guidelines. Money must be freely allocated to the services that require more attention.

To remedy stringent budget limitations, the Darby writes letters advocating the state to waive or alter such limitations so the library can spend more money in the places it needs it most.

(S. Borders, personal communications, October 2014)

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Thanks to innovate staffing efforts, big cost-cutting measures and the support of the local community, things are starting to turn around.

The library has had to dip into its principle less and less in recent years, and as the stock market has recovered, the endowments that provide extra funding have grown healthier, too.

(S. Borders, personal communications, October 2014)

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Still, the library is always seeking grants to help it grow and be maintained.

The building was designed without electricity, heat, or running water.

Many upgrades have happened and The Darby Library Company is still standing, still serving, and still growing.

(S. Borders, personal communications, October 2014)

Image: [Untitled image of Darby Interior], 2014

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The Darby Free Library

has many programs

that reach a range of

different age groups

from toddlers to

senior citizens.

There is a particular focus on programs for the youth.

(A. Renzulli, personal communications, November 2014)

Image: Blass, 2009

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For younger patrons, they offer story time for children and infants.

Children starting at the ages of newborn and older can participate.

They also offer the option for a librarian to visit your school or daycare if you can’t make it to the library.

(A. Renzulli, personal communications, November 2014)

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The library offers After School Fun, which is place kids can go and unwind after school.

They have also created a Lego

club for the patrons who like

to be creative.

They have created many programs that cater to the younger patrons of library.

(A. Renzulli, personal communications, November 2014)

Image: Logo Club, 2014

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For older patrons, there are several different programs throughout the year.

Many involve crafts for the adults. In July, there was a sewing club.

With much of the community below the poverty line, many patrons make use of the library’s computers.

Help with resumes and job applications is provided throughout the week. They are in the process of beginning a job bank.

(A. Renzulli, personal communications, November 2014)

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(S. Borders, personal communication, October 22, 2014)

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Image: [Untitled image of map of Darby], 2014

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• Located in Delaware County Pennsylvania.• Six miles Southwest of downtown Philadelphia.• Area: 0.8 square miles.

Image: Darby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, 2014

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• 10,648 residents (2008-2012 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates).

• 5,037 male.• 5,611 female.

Image: [Untitled image of Darby Hat], 2014

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• Under 5 years old: 872• 5 to 9 years: 989• 10 to 14 years: 898• 15 to 19: 1,038• 20 to 24: 932• 25 to 34: 1,332• 35 to 44: 1,382• 45 to 54: 1,442• 55 to 59: 399• 60 to 64: 326• 65 to 74: 533• 75 to 84: 210• 85 years and over: 295

Image: [Untitled image of Darby], 2014

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• African American: 8,488• White: 1,598

• Hispanic or Latino: 408• Asian: 49

• American Indian and Alaska Native: 9• Two or more races: 96

Image: [Untitled image of Upper Darby], 2014

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• Total housing units: 3,964• Occupied housing units: 3,282

• Owner-occupied: 1,591• Average household size: 2.94

• Renter-occupied: 1,691• Average household size: 3.25

• Vacant housing units: 682

• Vehicles available in occupied housing units:• No vehicle available: 1,096• 1 vehicle available: 1,473• 2 vehicles available: 566• 3 or more vehicles available: 147

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• School Enrollment for population 3 years and over: 3,704• Nursery school, preschool: 212• Kindergarten: 175• Elementary school (grades 1-8): 1,511• High school (grades 9-12): 961• College or graduate school: 845

• Educational attainment for population 25 years and over: 5,919 • Less than 9th grade: 303• 9th to 12th grade, no diploma: 539• High school graduate and equivalency: 2,777• Some college, no degree: 1,192• Associate’s degree: 469• Bachelor’s degree: 407• Graduate or professional degree: 232

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• Population 16 and over: 7,692• In labor force: 4,877

• Employed: 3,977• Unemployed: 900

• Armed Forces: 0• Not in labor force: 2,815

• Household income and benefits: (3,282 households):• Less than $10,000: 294• $10,000 to $14, 999: 317• $15,000 to $24,999: 584• $25,000 to $34,999: 493• $35,000 to $49,999: 599• $50,000 to $74,999: 613• $75,000 to $99,999: 172• $100,000 to $149,999: 162• $150,000 to $199,999: 42• $200,000 or more: 6

Median household income: $33,390Mean household income: $41,742

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• Industry:• Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining: 0• Construction: 186• Manufacturing: 283• Wholesale trade: 53• Retail trade: 384• Transportation and warehousing, and utilities: 402• Information: 7• Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental leasing: 141• Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and

waste management services: 138• Educational services, and health care and social assistance: 1,687• Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food

services: 393• Other services, except public administration: 223• Public administration: 80

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“I use the computer…if I need books, they help me find my books… I grew up here, to be honest…this is kind of like family. Hearing that it could be getting shut down. It really affects me and my son.” –Kiarra Powell (community member).

“It would be a crime to lose this unique resource that’s not just unique to Darby…no other community in America has this library, the oldest in the nation.” –Jay McCalla (Darby library board president).

“What happens if the facility shuts down? What happens to my daughter’s reading program?...the library is the only one in our community.”-Willie Doeleh (community member).

“A lot of our residents don’t have computers and things like that…we are a very low-income borough.” –Mayor Helen Thomas.

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Darby Library has its challenges, but it is clear that this library is needed by the community.

Darby Library is a crucial part of the history of libraries in the United States and one that needs to be preserved.

[Untitled image of Darby Free Library], 2014

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Blass, E. (2009). Retrieved November 1, 2014 from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-02-01-libraries_N.htm

Castaldi, J. (2014). Retrieved November 1, 2014 from: http://www.mainlinetoday.com/Main-Line-Today/June-2010/Printed-Matters/

Coins. (2014). Retrieved October 2, 2014 from: http://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/world/us-colonial-america-massachusetts-6-pence-km-9-1652-cuid-1092-duid-11607

Darby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. (2014). Retrieved November 1, 2014 from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Darby,_Delaware_County,_Pennsylvania.png/256px-Darby,_Delaware_County,_Pennsylvania.png

Darby Free Library. (2014). Retrieved November 1, 2014 from http://articles.philly.com/2014-09-15/news/53908536_1_library-funding-library-computers-library-operating

Etter, D. (1835). Benjamin Franklin, Retrieved November 1, 2014 from: http://www.nps.gov/inde/forteachers/classrooms/benjamin-franklin-man-of-many-talents.htm

Lego Club. (2014). Retrieved November 1, 2014 from: http://www.baraboopubliclibrary.org/sites/www.baraboopubliclibrary.org/files/images/events/lego-club.jpg

Philadelphia Library. (2014). Retrieved October 2, 2014. from: http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/philadelphia/library.htm SCSEP Logo. (2014). Retrieved November 1, 2014 from: http://vermontassociates.org/files/2012/06/SCSEPLogo.jpg Seal of Pennsylvania. (2014). Retrieved November 1, 2014 from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_of_Pennsylvania#mediaviewer/File:Seal_of_Pennsylvania.svg [Untitled image of Darby]. (2014). Retrieved November 1, 2014 from:

http://www.menupix.com/town_img/DarbyPAHP.jpg [Untitled image of Darby Free Library]. (2014). Retrieved November 1, 2014 from

http://suburbanphiladelphiarealestatenews.com/post/945206/darby-borough---potential-cracks-in-suburban-philadelphia-market

[Untitled image of Darby Hat]. 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014 from http://rlv.zcache.com/i_love_upper_darby_pa_hat-r8462dcbabb034cc0b72bae06430e9012_v9wf1_8byvr_512.jpg

[Untitled image of map of Darby]. (2014). Retrieved November 2, 2014 http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=14994

[Untitled image of Upper Darby]. 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Darby_Township,_Delaware_County,_Pennsylvania#mediaviewer/File:From-upper-darby-1.jpg

[Untitled image of Darby Interior]. 2014. Retrieved November 1, from http://www.philly.com/philly/gallery/20140914_Historic_Darby_Free_Library_struggling_to_keep_it_together.html?viewGallery=y

Wirtz, M. (2009). Retrieved November 1, 2014 from: http://www.philly.com/philly/gallery/20140914_Historic_Darby_Free_Library_struggling_to_keep_it_together.html?viewGallery=y