For library, a tale
100 years in the making

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

Colorful balloons flanked the entrance of the Holmesburg Library last week, a sign to the community that something special was going on at the neighborhood branch.
Inside, librarians dressed in garb reminiscent of 1907 as library patrons, residents and local politicos celebrated the 100th anniversary of the library at 7810 Frankford Ave.
Beyond the birthday cake, water ice and soft pretzels, a puppet show and a concert added to the festive celebration of the momentous occasion.
Elliot L. Shelkrot, president and director of the Free Library of Philadelphia, reflected on the early roots of how it all began.
"What is so remarkable is that well over one-hundred years ago, philanthropist Andrew Carnegie could have given his money to universities and hospitals but he believed that libraries give people a ladder to climb at their own rate, at their own speed. For me that’s the beauty of the Carnegie libraries."
The Holmesburg Library, which opened on June 26, 1907, was the sixth of 17 branch libraries constructed with funds from Carnegie. The land was donated by trustees of the Lower Dublin Academy, with a proviso that if the city should ever cease operating a library there, the land would return to the trustees.
Incorporated into the City of Philadelphia in 1854, Lower Dublin was a township of Pennsylvania that included Bustleton, Fox Chase and Holmesburg. The Lower Dublin Academy was born from a bequest made in Thomas Holme’s will, dated 1684, to provide educational opportunities for the young people of Lower Dublin.
The library itself initially was founded in 1867 as the Holmesburg Reading Room and Library Association. When it was transferred to the trustees of the Lower Dublin Academy in 1880, it was renamed the Thomas Holme Free Library and became part of the Free Library of Philadelphia in 1899.
Katie McIntyre brought her children, Jamison, 9, and Connor, 8, to celebrate their old neighborhood library’s birthday.
The family, which now lives in Tacony, used to visit the library regularly for their stash of books for the week.
Jamison’s favorite book is The Van Gogh Café, by Newberry Award-winner Cynthia Rylant. Her brother’s favorite is No More Water in the Tub, by Tedd Arnold.
During the celebration, they headed downstairs for the puppet workshop by Random Acts of Theater, while local politicians presented citations to the library. One of them, state Rep. Michael McGeehan (D-173rd dist.), recalled using the Holmesburg Library extensively as a kid.
Other proclamations came from the offices of state Sen. Michael Stack (D-5th dist.), U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-13th dist.) and City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski (D-6th dist.).
Holmesburg librarian Cathie Huntzberry greeted guests in her Victorian librarian attire, including a white eyelet suit, ruffled collar, broach and watch on a long chain. In addition to the proclamations, Huntzberry was happy to receive a novel gift from Lower Dublin Academy trustee Maxwell Rowland — the first CD of the Holmesburg scrapbook collection, a special project that will aid history research by schools and others who are interested in the neighborhood.
Katharine M. Petty, who was head librarian at the branch from 1901 to 1949, had collected newspaper clippings from a variety of publications that focused on items of interest to the Holmesburg community. In May, Bruce Silcox, son of local historian Harry Silcox, photographed each page of the disintegrating scrapbooks. A committee including Silcox, Huntzberry, Jack McCarthy, an archivist for the Historical Society of Frankford, and Rowland worked to create a digital guide that allows the user to search for specific text and subjects on the disc. The project was funded by the Lower Dublin trustees.
That history project is just one way the century-old library is making its way into the 21st century. The library should have wireless Internet access by the end of the summer, according to Shelkrot.
Karen Lash, president of the Friends of Holmesburg Library, said there’s no greater place in Philadelphia than its libraries.
"It’s the cornerstone of our community," she said, encouraging others to support the library by joining the Friends organization. ••
The Holmesburg Library is open from noon to 8 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com