About

The Upper Darby Township and Sellers Memorial Free Public Library system dates from the 1930s. Beginning with a small collection of 1300 gift books in two rented rooms, the library has grown to a library system with three branches and a collection of over 118,00 books, magazines, Audiobooks, music CDs, and DVDs available for borrowing. Highlights:
 
 

 

    1930  

  • Planning committee first meets in May. By September, the library opens at 571/2 North 69th Street. The collection moves to the McClatchy building in October.

    • 1931

  • Library moves into its current home at the Municipal Building, Long Lane and Garrett Road.

    • 1933

  • Sarah Sellers, last resident of the Sellers Family property known as Hoodland, dies, leaving the property to the township for a library.

    • 1934

  • The Sellers Library Board is established and assumes joint responsibility with Upper Darby Township Library Board for both libraries.

    • 1935

  • Hoodland is renovated and opens that summer as a public library. The Children’s Library is located on the second floor; the Adult Library on the first floor.
  • The Upper Darby Township Library in the Municipal Building and the Sellers Memorial Library are formally combined into the Upper Darby Township and Sellers Memorial Free Public Library.
  • Sellers Library designated as the Main Library; Municipal Library is named the Municipal Branch.

    • 1953

  • Bookmobile service begins. Starting with a trailer pulled by a station wagon, the service grows steadily through the 60s and 70s.

    • 1957

  • Upper Darby Township assumes responsibility for the buildings and grounds of the Sellers property from the Sellers Board
  • A unified Upper Darby Township & Sellers Memorial Free Public Library Board of Directors is established.

    • 1975

  • The Patrick J. Martin Wing of the Sellers Library opens, housing the Adult Library and work areas.

    • 1977

  • Municipal Branch is renovated.

    • 1980

  • Primos Branch Library opens in the Westbrook Park-Primos-Secane area of the township. Its first home is in the former offices of the Nu-Way Trash Removal Corporation.

    • 1981

  • The Delaware County Library System is established and the Sellers/Main Library is designated an Area Resource Center.

    • 1983

  • Bookmobile discontinued. At its retirement, the bookmobile maintained a collection of over 4000 volumes and visited every part of the township.

    • 1985

  • The first computers are installed in the libraries, used for office and administrative work only.

    • 1989

  • The traditional card catalog is replaced by DELPHI, an integrated computerized catalog. Patrons can now see what every Delaware County library owns.
  • Primos Branch moves into the closed Primos Elementary school. The branch remains here even after the school reopened in 1992. The School and Library develop a unique relationship that lasts even after the library moved to new quarters.

    • 1994

  • Sellers/Main receives one of the first public access Internet stations in the county from DCLS. By 2007, the UD libraries as a system offered 38 public Internet access computers, 9 computers for word processing, desktop publishing and spreadsheets, and wireless Internet access at Sellers/Main and Primos Branch.

    • 1995

  • UD’s first computerized circulation system is installed. Over the next few years, the three branches move from stand alone systems to networked systems, and finally in 2002, to a fully integrated real time county wide circulation system.

    • 2004

  • Primos Library relocates to its current home, the renovated Westbrook Park-Primos-Secane Fire house.

    • 2006

  • The library begins a fundraising effort to renovate the old Sellers Barn, largely unused since the retirement of the bookmobile.
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