Dimmick Memorial Library Director Jean Zellers reads and also wrote an unpublished children's book. A current favorite of children is "Junie B., First Grader, One-Man Band." Jean has been legally blind for most of her life, "I love to read," she said. "But I'm a slow reader."

Dimmick Memorial Library Director Jean Zellers reviews a book inside her library office. The library's motto, Pro Bono Publico - For the Public Good, underscores its commitment to the community for 114 years.

Library Director Jean Zellers and Assistant Director Susan Sterling check information on the Dimmick's computer system. Donated by the Gates Foundation in 2002, the computers have brought this 19th century library into the 21st century.

The Dimmick memorial Library began in 1889 as a bequest of Milton Dimmick, son of US Congressman, Milo Dimmick. At his death at the age of 36, Milton had no living heirs.

On December 13, 1979 the Dimmick Memorial Library was nearly destroyed by fire. After much work, help and struggles, the Dimmick Memorial Library was reopened on June 19, 1982.

Jim Thorpe's Dimmick Library Director loves to read even though she is legally blind.

She was born totally blind in her right eye and was 20/400 in her left eye. Legally blind is considered 20/200.

After graduating from high school, Jean wanted to go to college but was advised that a blind person would have too difficult a time.

It took her ten years until a supervisor helped her gain part admission to Cedar Crest College. With the help of readers, Jean ran a "B" average. She received a scholarship from the Association for the Blind that allowed her to transfer to full time study. She received an AB in English and Education.

After graduation, Jean became a teacher for blind students. Soon afterward, she began a series of operations on her "good" eye to remove the cataract. As a result of the operations, her vision improved to 20/30+ with glasses.

"For the first time in my life, I could really see," said Jean. "The clothes in my closet—that I thought were plain, dull colors—all of a sudden, they were bright. They had checks. They had stripes. They had dots.

Over a period of years, Jean began experiencing tunnel vision (Retinitis Pigmentosa) in her "good" eye. Soon, she only saw things directly in front of her.

She taught in the Lehighton School District and, after several reassignments, became the Lehighton High School assistant librarian.

In 1978, Jean joined the Dimmick as an assistant to Librarian Mary DeRemer. When Mary couldn't continue following a stroke, Jean took over the library operations. Jean already had her AB and a MEd, so she took a home study course in Library Science, passed the course and was appointed the Librarian.

"I love to read," said Jean. "But I'm a slow reader. I read when I can." Mainly, she reads the bible—Jean is also a Sunday School teacher. When she reads for pleasure, she relaxes with Gothic mysteries. She enjoys Phyllis Whitney and her current favorite novel is "A Lantern In Her Hand" by Beth Streeter Aldrich.

Jean also writes. She has over fifty poems published in Church booklets. A play she wrote won a major contest. She wrote a children's book, "Little Buddy" that her niece illustrated. She plays the accordion, but in recent years she has had "great difficulty in seeing the music," Jean said.

Up in Smoke

In 1979, within two years of her starting at the Dimmick, Jean was wakened up at 6:30 a.m. on the morning of December 13, by the sound of a fire siren. Living just houses from the library, she hurriedly dressed and went to the Dimmick— to find it engulfed in flames.

Jean wrote at the time, "The front door was removed, the original leaded glass shattered and firemen chopped holes in the roof to fight the fire. The lovely old historic building, built in Jacobean style in 1889 and virtually unchanged since then was slowly destroyed before their eyes."

The floor was the first to go, taking most of the books in the main library with it. Many books were frozen in place on the shelves and didn't burn. Local history books that had been sprayed by water that froze around it, forming a protective jacket, were taken to Air Products in Allentown to be restored by "freeze drying" and rebinding. Out of the library's collection of 26,000 books, less than 800 were saved.

The library was back in business the day after the fire—first at the Odd Fellows Building across the street from the Dimmick Library and later, at the Methodist Social Hall on Fifth Street in East Jim Thorpe. The Dimmick Memorial Library was reopened on June 19, 1982.

Libraries of Mauch Chunk

Two libraries, the Mauch Chunk Library Company and the Minerva Lyceum, preceded the Dimmick Memorial. Both had failed.

The Dimmick Memorial Library was made possible through the bequest of Milton Dimmick, a life long Mauch Chunk resident and son of US Congressman Milo Dimmick. When he died at the age of 36, Milton was the last surviving member of his family. In his will, he donated money to start a library and dedicated it to his family as the Dimmick Memorial Library.

Property was located for the library between the old school and the courthouse, as Milton Dimmick had desired. The collections of the Mauch Chunk Library Company and the Minerva Lyceum libraries were passed to the Dimmick. In the Dimmick's front yard is a millstone from the 1827 Race Street mill and a sundial believed to be from the Mauch Chunk Library Company property.

No property was immediately available and the trustees invested the money. At the time when the cornerstone was laid on June 15, 1889, the Dimmick endowment was $49,000. In 1912, Mary Packer Cummings bequeathed $25,000, the income of which was to benefit the library.

Funding Cuts in Pennsylvania

As a result of a weak economy and Federal tax cuts, Pennsylvania has been belt tightening. Plans were to cut Pennsylvania's library budget of $75 million by half. In the most recent version of the budget, $10 million of the cut has been restored.

Ironically, the state that created the library system is in the bottom quarter of library performance according to a recent study, which placed it 40th among the states—an improvement over its previous 43rd position. Much of the quality of a library system is in its funding for books, building maintenance, equipment and staff.

The Dimmick, as most libraries throughout Pennsylvania, is urging its communities to contact their legislators to increase funding for libraries, to give generously to support their local library, and to volunteer their time.

For information about the library budget cuts see: www.palibraries.org.