Sandra J. Nailor, 82, director who modernized the Helen Kate Furness Free Library

Sandra Joy Nailor, 82, who as director of the Helen Kate Furness Free Library in Wallingford ushered it into the computer age, died Tuesday, April 23, of Parkinson’s disease at Wesley Enhanced Living Main Line in Media.

She had lived at Wesley for three years, said her son, Michael S. Nailor. Before that, she lived in Broomall.

In the summer of 1984, Ms. Nailor joined the Furness staff as a part-time librarian. A year later, she became director of the library, and for the next 27 years she guided coworkers and volunteers along a path to modernization.

In place of the Dewey decimal card catalog, she put in place a computer system for locating books in the stone building on Providence Road. She replaced the library card slip bearing a book’s due date with a bar-code system at the checkout desk. She installed computers with internet access for research, and added audio books and e-books to the library’s collection.

She spearheaded a building expansion, adding a second floor in the mid-2000s, said Jennifer Stock, who replaced Ms. Nailor as library director after she retired in 2012. “She was very beloved,” Stock said. “She was intelligent, thoughtful, caring, and a great librarian and person.”

Lori Friedgen-Veitch, the children’s librarian, described Ms. Nailor as “a very steady presence,” no matter what changes were underway.

“You knew things were going to continue on their course,” she said. “When we were doing a giant library renovation, her steadiness kept us going. She was a quietly important person.”

Ms. Nailor was born at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby Borough. The daughter of George and Alberta Stewart, she grew up in Drexel Hill and was a 1954 Haverford High School graduate.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1958 from what is now Shippensburg University, and a master’s degree in library sciences from Villanova University in 1986.

After graduating from Shippensburg, “Sandi,” as she was called, began her career as a teacher at Ardmore Elementary School. In 1959, she left Ardmore for Kingsville, Texas, where she and Kerwin Nailor, a Navy pilot, were married.

Over the next six years, they raised a family in Florida, Puerto Rico, and Virginia before returning to the Philadelphia area in 1965. During the next decade, Ms. Nailor worked in various teaching and educational roles at the former Marple Elementary School and Harriton High School.

While at the Furness Library, Ms. Nailor was known as the “Google of librarians” for her keen interest in trivia and her research skills. When she retired, the mayor of Rose Valley proclaimed Dec. 2, 2012, as “Sandi Nailor Day” in recognition of her service to the community.

In retirement, Ms. Nailor enjoyed reading, gardening, baking, knitting, and attending Philadelphia Orchestra concerts.

Ms. Nailor and her husband divorced in 1982. He survives. In addition to her son Michael, she is survived by children Mark E., Amy L., and Jane E. Bonner; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A visitation starting at 11 a.m. Monday, May 6, will be followed by noon funeral services at Marple Presbyterian Church, 105 N. Sproul Rd., Broomall. Interment is private.

Memorial donations may be made to the Helen Kate Furness Free Library, 100 Providence Rd., Wallingford, Pa. 19086, or the Parkinson’s Foundation via www.parkinson.org/.