Lower Merion BOC expresses support for Gladwyne Library’s grant request for preserving historic documents

LOWER MERION—The Gladwyne Free Library could soon get a grant to help it preserve some of its historic documents.

During its monthly meeting, Lower Merion Commissioners authorized the township staff to prepare a letter of support for the Gladwyne Library to assist them with their application for a Keystone Historic Preservation Planning Grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Lower Merion officials said the library submitted a grant application to the PHMC’s Keystone Historic Preservation Planning Grant, requesting nearly $25,000 “to preserve and expand access to the library’s Pennsylvania Room, a fragile collection documenting local and state history.”

According to township documents, the project could also digitize collections, safeguard irreplaceable historical resources, and make them more accessible to the public.

“The Gladwin Free Library is looking to apply, on their own, to the state for a preservation planning grant, and they are asking the township for a letter of support to submit with their application. There is no financial ask. This is just a show of support to signify to the state that the township supports the library’s efforts to preserve the Pennsylvania room,” said Brandon Ford, Lower Merion assistant township manager.

The Pennsylvania Room at the Gladwyne Library is a specialized local history collection located inside the historic library building. It houses books, photographs, and documents focusing on Pennsylvania, Lower Merion, and Gladwyne history, including rare railroad atlases from 1886 to 1926.

“The Pennsylvania Room collection was started by Maud Bell, who had founded the Gladwyne Library with her husband Stuart Bell in 1931,” according to the library’s website. “The collection offers patrons a place to delve into their state and local history and forge a deeper understanding of and connection with their community. Ever since its founding, the Pennsylvania Room collection has grown to feature over 1700 volumes, including archival materials such as Merion Square Day Books from the 1800s and Pennsylvania Railroad Atlases that chronicle land ownership from Overbrook to Paoli from 1886 to 1926. This collection is ever-growing thanks to donations from the community, as well as purchases made by the library to expand the collection’s contents.”

Township officials added more context.

“The Pennsylvania Room Preservation Project, as envisioned by the Gladwyne Free Library Board of Trustees, would conduct professional surveys to identify and prioritize unique materials, conserve fragile volumes, and improve archival storage conditions,” according to a staff memo to the commissioners.