Branch library now open to serve island communities

In a dedication ceremony last week, the long-awaited Johns Island Branch Library moved from the realm of "fiction" to "nonfiction." Island residents could not be happier. "It's finally happening for the islands. I am so thrilled to see this," Wadmalaw Island resident Rose Chisolm said after she and her grandson, 19-month-old Robert Nicholas Gayle, joined hundreds of first-day visitors to the $4.3 million library. Nicholas, as he is known to family, was fascinated by puzzles he found in the library's children's room. Nearby, children's librarians read books to a group from a day-care center and led them in the singing of "Five Little Monkeys" and other songs.The library at 3531 Maybank Highway was opened in a ceremony that included comments by Charleston County Councilman Ed Fava and county school district officials, and music by the Haut Gap Middle School band and choir. Fava recalled that in the mid-1990s, when he was county administrator, island residents approached him about getting a library. He said he told them to find property that could be obtained at no cost to the county, and soon a tract owned by Haut Gap and the school district was being offered. After five years of planning, ground was broken in December 2003 for the first public library specifically built to serve Johns, Wadmalaw, Seabrook and Kiawah islands. On Oct. 26, the 16,000-square-foot library opened, offering a children's room, school-related programs and shelves stocked with nearly 35,000 books, DVDs, tapes and CDs, many of them in Spanish. Fava said libraries are "a wonderful public program" and open new worlds to children. "It's a gift we give to ourselves," he said. County School Board Chairman Nancy Cook noted the library's roots as a cooperative venture between county government and the school district and said it shows what can be accomplished "when we all work together for the common good. What a day of celebration," she said. Library Board Chairman Jane Mace Skinner said the library "goes beyond brick and mortar," and will "become a part of this community." Forty-six students from Haut Gap performed "Johns Island," an original song written by school music director Karen Speed. The song speaks of how the island has grown, but even so, it says, families continue to grow up together and share their love for one another. Patrons, like Chisolm and her grandson, among the first through the library's doors, said they liked what they found. "We've been waiting a long time for this," Chisolm said. She said she grew up on Johns Island, as did her five children. But despite cooperative efforts that sometimes gave islanders access to school libraries, trips had to be made frequently to the Charleston County branch libraries in West Ashley or the main library downtown. Those trips took at least 25 minutes each way, she said. She said she really likes the new library. "It's bright, happy and light, as soon as you walk in the door," remarked Sheila Moore, a Johns Islander active with the Friends of the Library support group. Clara Mae Neuman, a Charleston resident and 22-year member of the Friends of the Library, said the library is beautifully arranged. "It's wonderful, especially for the children," she said. "It's going to mean a great deal" to island residents. You won't have to drive such a long trip into town." Kirstie Pennix of Johns Island welcomed the nearness of the new library. Her children, Isabella, 2, and Ian, 6, quickly found things to like. "I think it looks nice and I like all the neat books," Ian said, pulling two "Captain Underpants" books off the shelves. The library is a regional facility about twice the size of the county's typical branch libraries. Two of the library's 40 computers are set up in Spanish. Some 1,000 books and 500 audio-visual items are in Spanish. There are four other regional libraries, two in North Charleston, one in Mount Pleasant and one in West Ashley on Woodmere Drive. The Johns, Wadmalaw, Kiawah and Seabrook island communities are projected to have more than 23,000 residents by 2015, according to library spokesmen.

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