Country life leads to library

March 13, 2008|By MARLO BARNHART

HANCOCK - Unlike most public librarians, Marilyn Pontius didn't set her cap on that profession when she was in school.

"I was a math and computer science major at the University of Colorado," Pontius said.

But after years in the computer field, Pontius and her husband, Jack Mundale, bought a farm near Hancock in 1998 and began to enjoy country life.

The next year, there was an opening at War Memorial Library in Hancock and Pontius applied for the post.

When she got the job, Pontius said she had to learn library science "from the ground up," taking courses through the State of Maryland.

When she first came into the job, the library building was along the creek. But after being flooded out more than once, the library was moved to Hancock Town Hall while the existing library building was being moved to higher ground in Widmeyer Park.

"In the community, there is a lot of nostalgia about this building," Pontius said.

She pointed out that there isn't a lot of room in the current building.

"There is no community room, no meeting room and it is very crowded when we do programs," she said. "Sometimes, it is not adequate."

She didn't point out how small her office is and that there is little room for storage.

There are deliveries of new books every day from Hagerstown and a lot of interlibrary loans.

"The Bookmobile comes up this way, but our paths don't cross often," she said.

Donations of books and magazines always are welcome, and Pontius said she also has used book sales from time to time to keep the circulation healthy.

There are books on tape and on CDs available at the library.

Some used books go to the American Association of University Women book sale.

"We have four computers and are connected to the Internet," Pontius said. "They are almost always busy, so we have to limit access to one hour a day, first come, first served."

A My Space site is maintained for teens, with Pontius putting the content on that site. There also is a teen live page.

Pontius is one of three library employees, and said she counts library patrons among her best friends.

Library hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The library is closed Sunday and Monday.

There also is a Web site - www.washcolibrary.org.

"All the county libraries are on the site," Pontius said.

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