|
In February 2002, a group of local educators in Sardis, Ohio came
together to form the Riverfront Library Association.
The group
explored the idea of bringing a library to communities along the
Ohio River in Monroe County.
It soon became
clear that children and adults living in riverfront communities were
in critical need of a library to improve literacy, education and
quality of life. The nearest county library was roughly thirty miles
away across the winding hills of country roads. Other libraries were
in the next county or across the river in West Virginia. No
elementary schools in the riverfront area of Monroe County had
libraries; they’d been dismantled several years ago due to
inadequate school funding. A new library would provide services to
Sardis and Hannibal Elementary schools as well as River High School,
all located in Appalachia Ohio.
In looking at
literacy and reading proficiency rates, the Dally Library founders
discovered that Children’s Defense Fund Ohio reported 2000 reading
proficiency rates of 48.6% for Monroe County sixth grade students.
This compared with 54.9% reading proficiency for sixth graders in
all of Appalachia and 53.2% proficiency for all sixth graders in the
state. Ohio state requirement is 75%.
On two occasions, members
of the county district library board have chosen not to add a branch
library in the county, effectively excluding Dally Library from any
local tax monies earmarked for library use by the Ohio State Library
and Local Government Support Fund (LLGSF). However, the State
Library of Ohio has taken the unprecedented step of accepting Dally
Library as a private library into the SEO state automation
consortium, giving patrons at this small library on the river access
to 5.3 million holdings at more than 150 libraries across the state.
Countless
individuals and businesses on both sides of the Ohio River donated
time, books, labor, money, material and equipment to get the library
started. Local and former citizens as well as extended members of
the Dally family gave
generously to the library. A nearby Bayer Corporation division
contributed library furniture. Fund raising events
ignited enthusiasm and produced temporary funds to operate the
library. The Ohio Appalachian Regional Commission provided a $52,000
grant to equip the library and purchase books and materials. That
grant expired in 2004.
 Dally opened to the public
in June 2003 and today serves as a vital community resource
providing library services to people of all ages in communities
along the Ohio River.
|
