OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City library is expanding its reach with a new take one, leave one program at a resort amusement park.
Last week representatives of the Ocean City branch of the Worcester County Library installed a little wooden library — the Ocean City Book Exchange — at Jolly Roger Amusement Park. It’s stocked with books for children, teens and adults.
“We want to promote reading,” said Brittney Herz Glenn, branch manager at the Ocean City library. “It’s getting our name out there.”
Herz Glenn said she often heard from library patrons that it was difficult to get to the branch at 100th Street in the summer because of resort traffic.
“I know getting uptown in the summer can be hard,” she said. “We wanted a place closer to downtown for people to get books.”
The Jolly Roger Amusement Park came to mind because of its relative proximity to downtown Ocean City. She said management was eager to support the project and suggested a location just outside the park’s Guest Services entrance. There, it’s just outside the facility so those in search of a book don’t have to pay admission.
Herz Glenn said it was encouraging to see the interest park staff took in the project. Employees even offered to donate books to stock the little library.
“That was pretty cool,” she said.
The majority of the books in the library however are duplicates and donations the Ocean City branch received. Herz Glenn said she tried to include books by popular authors for children and adults.
“It’s a theme park,” she said, “but the kids aren’t there by themselves. Employees may also want books.”
She says anyone in search of a book is welcome to take one, read it and return it or to take it and replace it with another. She says she’s going to visit the Ocean City Book Exchange every other week to ensure it stays filled with reading material.
Though similar libraries in other areas have been the subject of vandalism, Herz Glenn is optimistic that the one in Ocean City will be respected.
“Only time will tell,” she said. “If it goes well we’d like to put up more next year.”
The Ocean City library is in the process of kicking off its summer programming. For more information on special events and the annual summer reading program for children, visit www.worcesterlibrary.org.
