GLENWOOD -- The Bainum Library and Learning Center will celebrate its third anniversary at its current location in November.
Formerly housed in a small cramped room at City Hall, the library is now located at the corner of Second Street and Broadway in the former Diamond Bank building, which was donated to the city by the Bainum Family. The library was able to "spread its wings" in the bigger facility, taking up every square inch, including the drive-through area and both safes.
The bulk of the transfer work from City Hall was done by librarian Judy Johnson, who died unexpectedly Sunday, the day before the library's grand opening. Her legacy of hard work has been carried on by Marge Melicar, Johnson's friend, who volunteered several hours and now serves as the librarian.
"I helped her move and get set up here. I was an accountant, so my experience comes in handy here. She worked hard to get the library transferred here, and when I was asked if I wanted to cancel the grand opening, I told them that Judy wouldn't want that, so we pushed ahead, and we opened that Monday. I volunteered for six weeks until they hired me," Melicar said.
Melicar said the Bainum family donated the building on the condition that it still resemble a bank on the inside. From the beginning, the former drive-through area houses the children's section, and the two safes house a catalog of books with the open doors remaining in place.
The library has free Wi-fi access, eight computers for public use and a table where books are sold to help with revenue. Membership continues to grow, and Melicar is in the process of getting memberships updated in the computer system as well as the entire library catalog of books. She has three sections done at this point.
Melicar has worked to make the library user-friendly, including transforming the front door and front windows into a public billboard area where numerous fliers are posted to keep Glenwood residents up to date on the latest events taking place in the community.
"We've had our summer reading program every Thursday throughout the summer here in our lobby, and it will continue until the first week in August. We have 11 to 20 people attend, and the kids can interact in the lobby and have a good time," she said.
Melicar confesses to having a green thumb, and keeps several plants all around the library for a fresh look. She also enjoys decorating the library to coincide with holidays, her most recent effort being July Fourth. She also added extra shelves in the lobby to hold more books.
"It stays busy around here, and the library is a vital part of this community," she said.
The library is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Garland Co. West on 07/24/2014