Janet and Wes Rohrer of Aspinwall are the proud stewards of two Little Free Libraries on their property along Third Street.
They installed the libraries in 2011 — one specifically for children positioned at a lower height and one for adults — but an act of vandalism over the weekend forced them to close the adult library.
A new wooden door, clamped to the library for drying purposes, was ripped from its hinge at some point after 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 18.
Janet Rohrer said she heard teenagers outside that night but said that’s not necessarily unusual. No camera footage has come forward from nearby homeowners.
Rohrer filed a report Monday with Aspinwall police after discovering the damage Saturday morning.
So far, there are no leads and no eyewitnesses.
“I would hope that it was an accident. It would make me sad to think that someone deliberately did it. We reported it so that the police would know,” Rohrer said.
The little library currently is covered with a tarp and includes a handwritten sign saying it’s closed because of vandalism.
Rohrer is a former art teacher, and her husband is professor emeritus of public health at the University of Pittsburgh.
The couple are avid supporters of literacy and take great pride in providing books to the community.
“A few years back, a little girl knocked on the door and asked for the ‘library box lady’ and asked if she could have more than one book,” Rohrer recalled. “The kids use it a lot.”
She posted the news of the damage over the weekend to the Aspinwall Community Page, a private Facebook group for Aspinwall residents.
In her post, she explained the new wooden door had been created by three “wonderful Aspinwallers” who “spent time, money and talent to make and install a new door to replace a weather-damaged one.” She ended her post with “I do not understand vandalism.”
Aspinwall residents responded to the post with offers of money to replace or repair the library.
Wes Rohrer said the support from the community hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“The reaction from the community, it’s obvious that it’s a community resource. They must value it,” he said.
Aspinwall Mayor Joe Noro said the reaction from the community is one of sadness.
“It’s a shame someone would touch a free library, and we are checking for cameras. We haven’t had vandalism in the community, and the community is sad,” Noro said. “It’s a shame anyone would damage (it). It’s against everything we believe in as a community.”
A new wooden door is being built by Aspinwall residents who wish to remain anonymous, and they expect to install it in about a week.
“We love being the stewards of the library. It gets used a great deal,” Janet Rohrer said. “The motto is ‘Take a book, leave a book,’ but I don’t care if they take 15 books.”
The adult free library holds about 20 to 25 books. The couple maintain the library daily and frequently receive book donations on their porch.
The Rohrers hope this is an isolated incident.
“My message is accidents happen, and we would not have been upset if they would have just let us know. We should all take care of our services and of each other,” Janet Rohrer said.
Noro said police are investigating.
Anyone with information is asked to call Aspinwall police at 412-781-3568.