The Librarian's Tale
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Employee Linda Munger reflects on her 25-year anniversary at Heritage Public Library and what the library has meant to her and to the community.
You never realize what all is involved behind the desk at the library. I certainly didn’t, when I started being a patron at what used to be McDonald Free Library in 1970. As a Cecil Township resident and a shopper in McDonald, the library was a perfect place to borrow books. And I never thought I’d end up working there. But I’d been a volunteer for a while when I was asked to be an employee in 1994. And after 25 years, patrons I knew as children are now bringing their children to Heritage Public Library.
You meet all kinds of people working behind the library desk and I love helping them all. When I help students find the information they need for a report, I ask them to give me at least 10 minutes. There is so much information available! When I call patrons to tell them we have a book on hold for them, I sometimes sing the title of the book, which makes them laugh (I’m sure they shake their heads or roll their eyes at my gesture of humor).
Other times, I try to be the person who’s a good listener and offer a hug if I think it’d help. A moment that touched me profoundly was when someone mentioned a patron having a hard time coping with a loss. When that patron came in and I told that person how worried I was, the hugs, words, tears, and love seemed to help more than I thought possible.
Yes, there’s been those other kinds of moments too. But I always feel if you show kindness and respect to others, you can never go wrong. My thanks to the wonderful people I have had the privilege of meeting, working with, laughing and crying with. You have made me very proud. Without the devotion of so many friends, patrons, and staff, Heritage Public Library would never be as successful and highly regarded as it is!
