By Brian Shane

Staff Writer

As local dignitaries gathered to ceremonially flip dirt with their gold-painted shovels, Worcester County Library Director Jennifer Ranck smiled broadly and welcomed those in attendance on an overcast and bone-chilling day.

“Today has been a long time coming. I want to thank you all for being here and sharing in this special moment with us,” she said. “We’re just elated. We cannot wait to welcome people into their new library.”

After five years of planning, construction on Pocomoke City’s new library branch is finally underway. The 12,500-square-foot facility will feature more gathering space than its aging predecessor, allowing for expanded community programs. Outside, the design vibes will be contemporary and inviting, in contrast to the old building’s brick colonial façade.

Features of the new library will include a gallery space, a large community room, two small study rooms, and a room dedicated to local history. It will include a children’s section, from which an outdoor yard will be accessible.

Library officials and architect Jeff Schoellkopf had discussed design ideas for a one-story replacement building going back to 2019, a concept at one point which would have included a children’s treehouse, Ranck said.

The project is estimated to cost about $8.4 million, with funds mostly split between the state and Worcester County. The county’s Library Foundation also will contribute with fundraisers.

While last Tuesday’s groundbreaking came a little late – it had been scheduled for October – construction is expected to conclude by early spring, according to County Commissioner Caryn Abbott, who was in attendance along with other library and county officials.

“It’s been a long road but we’re finally here,” said Abbott, whose District 1 includes Pocomoke City. “I’m very excited to hopefully stay on scheduled and have this completed in early ’26. It’s going to be a state-of-the-art facility, and an amazing upgrade for the town.”

A library does more than lend books, Abbott added. “They service a lot of people that don’t have computers, don’t know how to even use one. They help them apply for jobs,” she said.

Built in 1970, the Pocomoke branch is Worcester County’s oldest public library. Once it’s demolished, the new building will be constructed on the same site. Construction will be completed by Keller Brothers, county officials said.

And, avid readers, fret not: the library’s collection won’t disappear during construction. Contents of the existing branch were boxed up and hauled to a temporary space, the renovated Fifth Street firehouse, which opened to the public in November.

Finding a new location proved to be the biggest challenge for the library’s champions, said Jeff Smith, president of the Library Board of Trustees.

“There’s going to be a state-of-the art library for the town Pocomoke, and I think that’s the big positive to take away,” he said. “There were other locations that were considered – would they have been better? Would they have been worse? In the end it’s not really going to make any difference. There’s going to be a new library in Pocomoke and that’s really what we care about.”