EASTON, Pa. — A retired Easton school teacher intends to help her neighborhood out by opening her very own library — tailor fit to the needs of the diverse community.
Sandra Riley just ended a 35-year career in education this summer, and after spending all that time focused on underprivileged children, the mission will continue on into retirement, she said.
On Wednesday, Riley appeared before Easton’s Planning Commission with a simple request: a special exception to let her transform the old bank at 394 W. Berwick St. into a community library.
“There's a need there. So that's what I'm going to try to do.”Sandra Riley
Speaking to the commissioners, Riley said the South Side, where she has been a fixture her entire career, has lacked a proper library for more than 10 years.
Now, in her retirement, there is time to fix that problem, she said.
“I just want to tell you a story," Riley said to the board. "Yesterday, I was over that way, and I drove through, as I do from time to time. And there were two teenagers sitting on the outside part.
“I pulled up and I said, ‘Hey, how are you guys doing? What you doing?’ The young girl said, ‘Homework.’ I said, ‘Yeah, right.’
"So I walk over, she's on her laptop, she's doing that, and she shows me the problem. And I said, ‘Are you having a problem with it?’ She's like, ‘Yeah.’ I did it in my head.
“So I said to her, I said, ‘Well, you know this building you’re sitting next to? I want to make it into a library.’ She's like, ‘Are you going to have wi-fi? Are you going to have internet? You're going to have computers?’
"I said, ‘Yes, I'm going to have all that.’ I said, ‘You'll have that access and you won't have to sit outside.’
“There's a need there. So that's what I'm going to try to do.”
Funded through her pension
Riley said she already has procured an Employer Identification Number to establish the nonprofit operation.
A contractor, computer technology specialist, electrician and several volunteers already are on board, she said.
She said she hopes to lock down the lease — preferably a three-to-five-year agreement, she said — after she clears the city’s planning and zoning.
Eventually Riley said she'll seek out grants to maintain operations.
But at least to start, the entire project will be funded by Riley’s pension.
Riley said her vision for the library includes an emphasis on the local multicultural community, offering titles concerning Black, Asian, and Hispanic materials, which she said often are unavailable or limited in other libraries.
"We need to ensure that our children, by third grade, can read at that level to be a success, whether they going to college or working in the world.”Sandra Riley
Walking in, a space once occupied by bank tellers will serve as a main desk for checkouts, returns and assistance. The vault will be used for sorting, as well as storage for rare and valuable titles.
A meeting room will function as the children’s section, and a pair of safe deposit box rooms will be computer rooms for children and adults.
The space also would serve as a sort of senior center, Riley said, offering older individuals a place to visit, read and socialize, with plans for BINGO and other games.
In addition, she said, there will be a focus on educating the youth of the neighborhood.
“One of the things I think that's going to differentiate me from a lot of the educational centers is I want to hire a reading specialist,” Riley said.
“Our children in our community, but also the state of Pennsylvania, it’s not very good in literacy.
"If you want exact stats, I brought them with me, but we need to ensure that our children, by third grade, can read at that level to be a success, whether they going to college or working in the world.”
'Just another example of that'
As Riley explained it, one of the driving factors for high school dropouts is illiteracy or difficulty reading, which can make learning incredibly difficult, and potentially make the student feel embarrassed or ashamed.
Since the coronavirus pandemic, she said, school systems have suffered greatly to keep up education standards, and clearly, additional help is needed.
“And I think if there's a library in our community, that can do that," Riley said. "It helps the schools, for example, in the summertime."
She would also like to invite authors to come read to children, and help encourage literacy.
"I personally want to thank her for all that she has done and all she continues to do,"Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone
Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone said Friday that Riley "has always had a heart for the community, a heart for the kids, and this is just another example of that.
"I personally want to thank her for all that she has done and all she continues to do," Pintabone said.
Planning commission members commended Riley on her vision, and recommended that zoning should grant the special exception and allow for her library to keep her mission to educate alive.
“I have 35 years myself in education, and so I congratulate you on what you’ve done for the community," Chairman Ken Greene said to Riley.
"And the fact that you continue to give back is just tremendous. So that you so much.”
