Darby Free Library

Alexandrea Glenn
Patrick Elliot
Paul Bishop
Jen Parkhurst-Skala

The Library Company of Philadelphia was
created by Benjamin Franklin and a group
of peers.
Image: 2014,
Philadelphia Library

Franklin stated that the Library Company of Philadelphia
was “The mother of all subscription libraries.”
Image: Etters, 1835

 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,
Home of John Person, the first librarian ; October 22, 2014)
the books were kept in this home.
Image: Borders, 2014

Forty Five volumes of books from Lawrence Williams
 Original book from
John Bartram personal
collection that he
donated to the library in
1743
in London were purchased.

 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

Location Changes
As the number of
volumes
increased the
library moved to
another house
and then to the
second floor of
the Sipler’s
Saddle Shop on
Main Street.
Second Location of the Darby
Library
Sipler’s Saddle Shop, third location.

 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

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

Tax contributions (Library Fund) still make up the largest part of
the library’s modest budget today.
(S. Borders, personal communications, October 2014)

 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.
Image: Wirtz, 2014

 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.

 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.
Image: SCSEP Logo, 2014

 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.

Image: Castaldi, 2014
 Darby’s director, Susan Borders, says the library owes its
continued survival partly to these kinds of cost-cutting efforts.

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

 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.

 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.
Image: Seal of Pennsylvania, 2014

 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.

 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.

 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.
Image: [Untitled image
of Darby Interior], 2014

 The Darby Free Library
has many programs
that reach a range of
different age groups
from toddlers to
senior citizens.
Image: Blass, 2009
 There is a particular focus on programs for the youth.
(A. Renzulli, personal communications, November 2014)

 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.

 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.
Image: Logo Club, 2014
 They have created many programs that cater to
the younger patrons of library.

 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.

1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
(S. Borders, personal
communication, October 22, 2014)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Number of Patrons
Months
Children
Adults
computer use

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

• Located in Delaware County Pennsylvania.
• Six miles Southwest of downtown Philadelphia.
• Area: 0.8 square miles.
Image: Darby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, 2014

• 10,648 residents (2008-2012 American
Community Survey 5-year Estimates).
• 5,037 male.
• 5,611 female.
Image: [Untitled image of Darby Hat], 2014

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

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

• 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

“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.

[Untitled image of Darby Free Library], 2014
 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.

 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

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