Bentleyville library celebrating 75th year
Bentleyville Public Library will celebrate its 75th anniversary Friday and Saturday.
The diamond anniversary celebration will begin with an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. Refreshments will be served, and displays relating to the library’s history and programs will be available.
The celebration also will include a “diamond dig” for children from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday on the lawn. Children will have the opportunity to dig through piles of sand for plastic diamonds. The diamonds can be exchanged for prizes.
Bentleyville Public Library was founded in 1941 by the Bentleyville Chapter of the Daughters of the American Pioneers. The library’s mission was to provide residents with resources for lifelong learning, to advance knowledge and to support the love of reading.
The first library was located at the corner of Main and Lincoln streets. The library later moved to the basement of Mesler’s Dairy Bar, and then to the building at 832 Main St. In the 1970s, the library moved to its present location, which is the former Lower End Elementary School.
Bentleyville Borough acquired and renovated the school for use as a library and community center. In 2012, ownership of the building was passed to the library.
The library is a nonprofit corporation and is governed by an independent board of trustees. Each municipality served by the library is represented on the board. The library serves residents of Bentleyville, Cokeburg and Ellsworth boroughs and North Bethlehem and Somerset townships.