Delmont librarian announces retirement at end of 2022

When Louisa Fordyce first got involved volunteering at the Delmont Public Library, she didn’t have a lot of contact with director Denni Grassel. “But I knew how active she was and how much work she put into the library,” Fordyce said.

Today, Fordyce is a member of the library’s board of directors, and Grassel is preparing to retire at the end of the year, after 14 years as director.

“My greatest joy is seeing that ‘aha’ light bulb go on over a kid’s head,” Grassel said. “When I see that, my heart just fills with joy. That really does it for me.”

Grassel began her career as a first grade teacher at Christian Fellowship Academy, then spent two decades at home raising her family.

“My neighbor was the board president, and the librarian at the time, Dianne Rigby, was getting ready to retire,” Grassel said. “My neighbor knew I loved kids and books, and she came over one day and asked, would I be interested? So I started as assistant director for a year, and I’ve been director ever since Dianne retired.”

Cesare Muccari, director of the Westmoreland County Federated Library System, has frequently told Fordyce the Delmont Public Library is as “an overachiever,” Fordyce said.

“For the size of their community, the statistics they have there are incredible,” Muccari said.

When Grassel started as director in 2007, the library was circulating between 80 and 100 items per day, she said. This summer, the library reached its recent goal of circulating at least 250 items per day.

“We’ve hit that goal every day since the summer started,” she said.

With a master’s degree as a reading specialist and dual certifications to teach preschool and elementary school, Grassel said she knew her focus at the library would be on children.

“Teaching kids how to read and become lifelong learners is a huge part of becoming a successful adult,” she said. “That led us to creating the Outdoor Learning Center as well, because kids need more than just books.”

In fact, as Grassel and the library board set about designing what is now the new Delmont Public Library on School Street, part of the plan actually was to reduce the amount of space dedicated strictly to shelving books.

“Our e-book usage has gone up over the years, and really went up during the pandemic,” Grassel said. “We probably have as many e-books now as we do physical books in the library.”

Fordyce said it will be tough to find a replacement for Grassel.

“She’s one of the hardest-working people you’ll ever meet,” she said. “I don’t know that we’ll be able to find anyone who has her energy and creativity.”

Muccari said that in addition to boosting the use of the library, Grassel was instrumental in helping to build consensus for the new building — in addition to helping raise more than $1 million necessary for its construction.

“There’s a lot involved in getting something like that done,” Muccari said. “For as small as Delmont is, relatively speaking, for her to build that support from the board and the community, and to also be a part of the fundraising effort, is pretty amazing.”