A retired teacher finds her freedom and rekindles her passion for art

Rita Bairley is scrolling through Facebook on a desktop computer in one of the study rooms at the Belvedere-Tiburon Library. The retired special-education teacher, who is in her 70s, has visited the library two or three times a week since moving to Tiburon’s Cecilia Place senior housing complex in June, taking advantage of the library’s programming, including its gentle yoga, stretching and qigong classes.

Bairley has lived in apartments in West Marin most of her life and says she was excited to receive a spot in the 16-unit community of cottage apartments for low-income seniors after being on the waitlist since 2019. The library, she says, has helped ease the transition and become a source of community.

“Coming here, now I don’t feel so lonely,” she says.

Bairley says what she likes about the library is that social status does not matter and is not a barrier to access.

“It doesn’t matter how rich you are,” she said. “You come to the library, and it’s a community center.”

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