Kathy Denton once watched a little girl run straight to the caterpillar in Kline Library’s outdoor mosaic and give it a kiss. The girl does it on every visit, her mom said.

Now, the once-neglected mosaic and its courtyard are gleaming through a collaborative restoration that expands the library space to the outdoors and welcomes visitors to a sparkling spot for reading, dreaming, and learning.

“It is a quiet little place that has delighted kids for a long time, and now it’s shiny and restored,” said Denton, president of the Friends of Kline Library, which led the project. “The mirrors on the mosaic that were broken and not so shiny, they’ve all been replaced. They reflect people’s faces and the sunshine and the garden. They symbolize the doors and windows going into The Library, which reflect people.”

A $5,000 Community Grant from Harrisburg Keystone Rotary Club helped the Friends of Kline Library gather the talents of many people and give the courtyard a comprehensive makeover.

In addition to restoring the 20-year-old mosaic, work included planting a pollinator garden, creating a mosaic-themed quilt, and installing two benches and a sundial in memory of dedicated Library Friend Jack Snodgrass.

Through obstacles and a lot of gritty work, the Kline Library now has a landmark welcoming rear space, said Library Manager Veronica Manthei.

“The Friends really wanted to create a welcoming space for families to sit out there and meet,” Manthei said. “If they want to read on a lovely day, they have a nice place to sit and enjoy the mosaic and the fine weather.”

The mosaic was in “remarkably good shape,” said restoration artist Suzanne Hair, of Broken Art Mosaics and an aide at Simpson Public Library in Mechanicsburg. It took effort to drill out the broken pieces while replacing the old “Kline Branch” wording with a more meaningful “Read-Grow” message. Friends members pitched in to help with the messy work of grouting.

“We got through it, and everyone survived,” she laughed. “It’s nice to be part of that whole thing and see the mosaic come back to life again.”

Debbie Wenger and her kids have been Library members since moving to the neighborhood, and she quickly joined the Friends because “it makes you feel more like you’re part of the community.”

The kids first noticed the mosaic and its restoration made them leap for joy.

“They wanted to take a picture and sat on the benches,” said Wenger. “They said, ‘This looks so beautiful, Mom.’ They were so enthralled with the benches and the beautiful garden. My youngest, who’s 7, loves gardens, so he was very much drawn to that.”

The restoration emerged, in Denton’s words, from “glorious cooperation” among Library staff, Friends members, Harrisburg Keystone Rotary Club, artist Suzanne Hair, and Master Gardener Patrick Reilly.

The African American Quilters’ Gathering Harrisburg created a mosaic-themed quilt for hanging inside The Library, depicting the butterfly, flowers, caterpillar, and – if you look closely – books on the American Library Association’s Top 100 banned books list, from To Kill a Mockingbird to the Holy Bible.

When Reilly first saw the courtyard space, choosing the mosaic as the focal point for his garden design was “a no-brainer,” he said. His low-maintenance, drought-tolerant landscape is verdant with year-round color from native plants and pollinators, including salvia, sage, black-eyed Susans, and catmint. In the future, watch for asters, purple cornflower, and “maybe a mum or so.”

Reilly hopes to create a map describing the plants and the importance of pollinators.

“Because it’s a kids’ library, we want to help educate them,” he said.

The refreshed mosaic was unveiled on a hot day in June, when 260 people and one dog turned out for the second annual Children’s Festival. Kids ate ice cream, played pin the tail on The Library’s cow sculpture, received autographed copies of books by local author Grandma Mims, toured an exhibit of upcycled art in Susquehanna Art Museum’s VanGo, and made their own paper mosaics.

“That was a really nice representation for our Library and giving back to the community,” said Manthei. “The Friends members are so great about getting books into the hands of kids and really facilitating our mission, which is allowing people to come into The Library and get whatever information they need, whenever they need it.”

Adds Denton, “The Library was jammed that day, and Veronica signed up a lot of people for library cards. That was what we wanted.”

In the courtyard, Denton now takes moments to “sit there and just enjoy it.”

“You wouldn’t believe the birds and butterflies there,” she said. “And one naughty rabbit who has eaten the daisies — twice.”

Manthei extends “super kudos” to Denton for her leadership.

“A little bit of a change in color, a little bit of a change in lettering, and all of a sudden, you see something with fresh, new eyes,” she said.

Debbie Wenger, the mother of four who has brought her kids to Kline Library for years, loves the community-building and intergenerational encounters of their little space.

“As I think about a mosaic, you think about how there are all these tiny pieces that look so different, and they all come together to make this beautiful picture,” she said. “It really does remind us so much of our community. We have all this diversity in all the senses of the word, and we all get to come together and create this beautiful community. That mosaic really does represent a visualization of that.”