This ‘people’s university’ is set for an overhaul. The city breaks ground on renovations to the Paschalville Free Library.

When Maryam Muhammad was a high school student in Southwest Philly, her English teacher brought her class to the Paschalville Free Library one day to teach them how books are cataloged.

Muhammad found the intricate system fascinating, and became a regular at the Paschalville branch — her son Isa started reading early because she brought him in for library programming in the mid-2000s, and she got to know her neighbors through events over the years since.

But the Paschalville Library hasn’t been renovated since 1995. As at other Free Library of Philadelphia branches and public spaces in the city, funding became scarce, and the infrastructure and staffing of Paschalville suffered.

“A lot of us felt as if Southwest had become neglected,” Muhammad said of what it was like seeing the library deteriorate.

On Wednesday morning in Southwest Philly, city officials and community members — including Muhammad, who led some of the community engagement efforts during the planning for renovations — broke ground on a $13.2 million renovation project for the library. The construction comes through the city’s Rebuild program, a series of investments in public space funded by the city’s tax on sweetened drinks.

“I believe deeply that public libraries are the most important institution in our city.”

“We are excited about the improvements coming to this branch, which will make it more accessible, welcoming, and engaging for visitors of all ages,” Mayor Jim Kenney said.

“We know that the coming improvements to the Paschalville Library are overdue and how meaningful they are to the children and families here in Southwest Philly,” he added.

Specifically, the renovations will include such features as new flooring, paint, plumbing and electric systems, ADA bathrooms and ramps, and the construction of a new “media hub” classroom. The Knight Foundation and Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program also contributed funding to the project.

“The community has been waiting for some time to see the reopening of this library,” said Otis Bullock, from the Greater Philadelphia Community Alliance, who helped facilitate the project.

Bullock explained that the chosen renovations came from community member suggestions, not the city just telling them what they would receive. “I’m glad that we can make the community the forefront of putting this together,” he said.

“The library is the people’s university,” said Kelly Richards, president and director of the Free Library. “I believe deeply that public libraries are the most important institution in our city, that offers people a safe place to learn to read, access critical resources, and connect with each other.”

Richards has been in his role just more than a year, but has been clear on seeing his role as a vocal “lobbyist” for the Free Library, making sure its branches get the resources they need.

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“We have this very unique opportunity to witness how Paschalville [Library] will be reshaped to best serve its community, [and] adapt to the changing needs of the neighborhood,” he said.

“I’m so excited for the incredible transformation that this library is going through today.”

Finally seeing this kind of an investment made Muhammad believe that the city did actually care about her community and the library that means so much to them.

“It was like, oh, wow, they really meant [when they said], ‘We got you,’” she said. “And they have us.”