Ridley library starts another chapter with new facility
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP » After 61 years of serving the public, the township library is finally getting a building of its own. And what a building it is, featuring 14,000 square feet of space all on one level, located just behind the township administration building at 100 E. MacDade Blvd. but not physically connected to the administration building.
“We are very excited about having everything on one level because there are a lot of people who use the library who have mobility problems and we won’t have to worry about the lifts not working,” said Library Director Donna Murray.
The old library occupies space on two levels of the administration building, sharing facilities with the township offices, the police department and district court. Moving day started on Monday and the soft opening of the library scheduled for April 30. No date has been set for the grand opening.
The interior of the new library has an expanded service desk and a reference desk. Along one wall there is a bank of computers for public use. The young adults area is along the rear wall while the preschool and children’s library is to the left of the main entrance, furnished with modular style seating and low shelving in a serpentine design to accommodate the library’s pintsized members.
Although the high open ceiling may suggest a noisy atmosphere, that is not the case, according to Murray, who pointed to scattered panels on the walls known as “sound-soak panels.” Large windows on three sides of the building and skylights flood the entire interior with natural lighting. Furniture is covered with a unique washable fabric and the vibrant colors and prints are eye catching.
“Lynn Godshalk of GCI Design of Lancaster did the interior,” Murrary said, describing the color of the walls as “earthy” grey with teal blue accents.
Murray pointed out the quiet room furnished with tables and chairs, including some chairs with a circular arm extension that makes it convenient for note taking while doing research. A glass enclosed room at the front of the building can be used for various meetings. In the area behind the service desk is a section of offices and a separate entrance for the Delaware County Library System book van that makes deliveries to the library.
“One of our busiest programs is the adult use of computers where we help people apply on-line for job applications and with resumes,” Murray said.
The library director praised former director Cathy Biddle, who came up with a lot of design ideas for the new library before leaving to become director of the Delaware County Library System two years ago.
“I feel like a bit of an interloper,” said a smiling Murray, who has been in the library field for 22 years.
The price tag for the new library is $5.1 million. Township Manager Ed Pisani said the township received a Keystone Grant of $500,000. Other grants brought the grant total to $600,000.
Given the statistics of library usage, the cost is well worth it. Murray furnished figures showing the library logged in 112,209 visitors in 2017, with 16,547 people taking advantage of the public computers. Programs were attended by 10,000 people and area residents borrowed about 100,000 books and down loaded 10,300 ebooks.
Working with Murray are Mary Tobin, assistant director and head of information services, Peggy Boraske, circulation manager and administrative assistant, Kim Christensen, public services librarian, Lauren Longbottom, head of children’s services, and Krissy Ward, bookkeeping, interlibrary loans and technical services. There are 11 parttime workers and a dedicated organization called Friends of the Library that supports library functions. And there is a library board appointed by the township commissioners that oversees operations.
The new library is a far cry from the days when the library opened in a classroom at the Woodlyn Elementary School thanks to the efforts of the Ridley Township Women’s Club. In about 1961 the library moved to a small space in the newly constructed township administration building. Eventually a section for the library was added at the rear of the administration building, with another room set aside for the children’s library on the lower level of the building.
Pisani said once the new library is up and running, the old library will free up badly needed space for renovations to the administration building that will include an expanded police department and code enforcement offices.