Margaret Hewitt brings a mailbox-sized metal case out from a back room on the second floor of the Butler Area Public Library. Inside the faded gray container are manila folders that look newer than the case they came out of, but inside one is a single square of paper older than all of them containing a numbered list.

This single sheet was the list of “library rules” that the Butler Area Public Library opened its doors with in 1894, when it was a rented space in the Duffy Building on West Jefferson Street with a total of 432 books on hand.

The 1898 catalog consisted of books including “Ben Hur,“ “Gulliver’s Travels,” “Jane Eyre” and “Catalog of Library of the Butler Public Schools,” which is the library’s oldest surviving book.

Now, the entire library catalog of more than 103,000 items fits in the palm of Hewitt’s hand, on a new smartphone application developed for the library in 2021.

The genealogy department of the library, which Hewitt maintains, has shelf upon shelf filled with books and almanacs keeping records of people and events around the region. In the same room are computers that can be used to view microfilm rolls and a larger vertical monitor which could be used to search records virtually.

Hewitt said no matter the decade, the library has adapted to the times.

“We have always been right with it,” said Hewitt, the library’s special collections librarian.

The library would move from rented space to rented space until it landed at its current location at 218 N. McKean St. on Sept. 20, 1921. Over its years in operation, not only has the library’s collection grown in stature, but its reach in the free resources it offers has expanded as well.

Having worked at the library for 20 years, Lori Hinderliter, its executive director, said even the changes that took place during her tenure have been surprising — going from VHS tapes being popular rentals to the development of a smartphone application that library cardholders can use to stream music or audiobooks.

“Even in the last couple years, we have branched out in ways we never thought about,” Hinderliter said. “We have a lot going on here at the library.”

According to Hewitt, the library facility has been through several renovations over the years that are visible from the outside and inside.

The building doubled in size in 1967 through a major renovation project and expanded again in 1988 with the acquisition of the neighboring Luther Hall building from the First English Lutheran Church. Another major renovation project was completed in 2003, according to information on the library’s website.

All of this space is necessary for the library’s ever-growing collection, which Hewitt said has some unexpected selections.

“We have had reel-to-reel movies and a collection of vinyl records, everything that people wanted to check out,” Hewitt said. “We had a collection of framed art people could check out if they were throwing a party and needed decorations.”

The library is also partnered with the Butler County Historical Society, and the two entities share resources with one another. Hewitt said libraries’ collections of public materials has made them apt entities for being local history keepers.

Hinderliter said the library always has adapted to community needs, but the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the development of more remote access by patrons. The Butler library phone application lets people search items in the catalog, but also gives access to free music, audiobooks and movies.

While the library couldn’t operate for some time during the coronavirus pandemic, Hinderliter said the challenge now is showing the community what is available.

“(A common perception is that) people aren’t using libraries any more,” Hinderliter said. “But they are still using (them), but for different reasons, and they need support to keep access.”

Recently, the library had its first in-person story time for children since March, 2020. Tiffany Harkleroad, youth services librarian, has been streaming story times online since that time, which she said was another innovation of the library in providing access and preserving material.

“I would do a presentation with all the words to songs and would embed videos in there they could watch along with,” Harkleroad said. “I use Google Slides to create a room that can read a book aloud to someone, which is nice because they stay around forever. If people are bored they can look back on something I created a year ago.”

While the technology has been evolving all along at the library, Harkleroad said one of her goals is to educate children about the library, creating social situations like story time and giving them experience with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) activities.

“For story time, I have actually taken a step backwards, so it’s really less technologically driven,” Harkleroad said. “Now I like to do a lot of work with interactive experiences that kids can do hands-on.”

Harkleroad said she has a budget for children’s programming, which is for youths up to about 10 years old, and she tries to stretch it as far as possible to keep offering new new activities and programs. The library is also partnered with the local PBS station, which Harkleroad said helps them get educational materials.

Hinderliter said school field trips to the library always have been good ways of introducing young students to its resources, but she hopes internet access can also interest children in visiting as well.

“We have done quite a bit of virtual programming,” Hinderliter said. “And we try to balance that with providing services to people who need them.”

While books are still the primary trade of the Butler library, it also has thousands of DVDs, CDs, cassettes, records and more available for checkout.

Some people still check out these materials physically, but many are also available in a virtual format.

“Having things saved digitally blows everything open,” Hewitt said.

Additionally, the library offers technical support and education for adults and children, book clubs, Wi-Fi access, scanners and activities such as book clubs and reading groups that invite people to come to the library for community.

Hinderliter said that while society has moved heavily into a virtual realm, the library still is keeping up with needs.

“There are some things that are always here and always needed,” Hinderliter said.