By: Dauphin County Library System Staff
September marks the 20th anniversary of the Madeline L. Olewine Memorial Library (MOM), located at 2410 N. Third St. in Harrisburg, Pa.
It’s a 6,400-square-foot space that holds roughly 30,000 volumes. It has a large children’s section, a public meeting room, a parking lot, and offers free internet access. MOM replaced the Uptown Plaza Library, which was on Division Street and was three times smaller than the current location.
The library was named in memory of Madeline L. Olewine, who lived in uptown Harrisburg and was an avid reader and frequent library user. She regularly visited what is now the McCormick Riverfront Library in downtown Harrisburg, the original library of the Dauphin County Library System.
When plans for the new uptown library were underway, her son, Benjamin Olewine III, described naming the library in his mother’s honor as a fitting tribute to her contributions to her family and the community.
One of the biggest draws of the library is its 18 public computers. Lori Saulisbury, 65, is a lifelong resident of Harrisburg. “I come to the library to get resources, information and a lot of printouts,” she said.
This is more common, as many people use their phones for everyday things and may or may not even feel like they need a computer or printer at home anymore. However, people find that there are many things that require computer and printer access.
“There are so many things that it’s just not practical to use a cell phone for, like doing your taxes, or applying for a job or designing a flier, navigating insurance or health care companies or working on court cases,” said John Grayshaw, the library manager at MOM.
“People are so used to doing everything on their phones, but then they realize they can’t print something from their phone at home and they come in and learn how to use our app to print their documents,” said Grayshaw.
Tony Daniels, 62, is another lifelong Harrisburg resident. Every day, he asks around 20 or more reference questions. He says he asks so many because his nephew and friends argue about things with him, so he needs to get the answers. Daniels asks questions about everything from the Bible to superheroes and everything in between. Daniels is also a mystery writer, and he often wants to know the plots of mystery novels to scope out his competition. Daniels usually also asks for a recipe to help him cook his dinner that night.
“He often asks questions about laws in different states because he’s a mystery writer,” said Will Esposito, a Public Services Assistant at MOM.
“If you didn’t know [Daniels] was a writer, some of his questions would probably freak you out,” said Grayshaw.
“We’re all done with the summer reading program. The dinosaur theme was a big hit because dinosaurs are popular,” said Em Anderson, Youth Services Manager at MOM. “There was a lot of feedback that the families are excited for the storytime and programs here at MOM.”
“People don’t always think of this library for programs, but it’s definitely picking up,” said Anderson. “I would like to see more families in the library, and I think word of mouth is the most effective way to continue to build our reputation in the area. I’ve been working a lot with local schools, daycares and summer camps to do some more outreach and get them using the library.”
Saulisbury also said that “the neighborhood is very quiet and respectful.” These are also traits that the library itself emulates. “People still think you have to be quiet in the library. I hear parents shushing their kids all the time,” said Grayshaw. “It’s true that a lot of people do work at the library, so it is polite to try and be quiet, but it’s more about respecting others than being silent. We don’t mind some conversation as long as you keep it to a dull roar.”