The last living Bridgeville Public Library founder influenced an addition that makes the library even more accessible to the patrons she once served.
A donation in the name of founder Betty Sutton, who died in January, allowed the library to install a mechanism making the front doors handicap accessible. The doors can now open automatically at the push of a button.
“I have no idea how they got around it when they built this building. It really has been something that kept people away,” said the library’s fundraising coordinator, Joyce Heinrich. “Even if you aren’t disabled, the doors are heavy. It can be hard for older people, or even very young people, to open them.”
Heinrich said Sutton, an active community member, teacher, and original founder of the 52-year-old Bridgeville Public Library, was involved with the library for most of her life.
After her death, her children asked that donations be made to the library in lieu of flowers.
When Heinrich thought about how best to use the donation, she said she remembered a woman who comes to the library weekly to get books for her mother. The woman’s mother lives in a nursing home nearby, but can’t easily get to the library and has difficulty opening the heavy doors.
The library is close to a nursing home and two senior apartment buildings. Many of the residents have been unable to use the library due to the lack of accessibility, Heinrich said.
“I thought we needed to take a step to give people who haven’t had the opportunity to come in a chance to use the library,” she said. “Because of our financial situation, it’s difficult to spend money on something like this right now, but I thought it was necessary. Her family agreed that would be a good use of the donations.”
Bridgeville Public Library is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. It is open from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday and is closed on Sunday. More information is available on the Bridgeville Public Library website.
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