Friends of the Pines Library group President Jim Meckley presents Olivia Haines with her award.

By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

An ambitious, local student was awarded a $1,000 scholarship this week to advance her education as she pursues a career path in library science.

On Monday, June 9, the Friends of the Ocean Pines Library (FOPL), a volunteer group dedicated to assisting facility staff in providing community resources, presented Wor-Wic Community College student Olivia Haines with a $1,000 check. The scholarship will be used for her future education costs as she works towards a master’s in library science.

Haines is nearing graduation from Wor-Wic. With just one more semester to go, the student, a resident of Ocean Pines, will receive her associate’s degree in general studies from the community college with honors distinction. Haines will then enroll at Salisbury University, where she intends to major in English Literature with a minor in art history.

Typically, to work in the library science field, a master’s degree is required. As such, upon completing her bachelor’s degree, Haines plans to attend the University of Maryland, where she will obtain her library science certification.

The $1,000 check, courtesy of FOPL, will help her as she advances her education.

Haines said she hopes to stay on the Eastern Shore after she graduates, at least for a while.

“I want to stay here and continue to work with [the Ocean Pines Library], at least for a little while,” she said. “My absolute dream job would probably be working with the Smithsonian Libraries or something like that. I want to hang around here and support the community that provided me this scholarship.”

Haines’ decision to pursue library science came from time she spent with her mother as a child.

“When I was younger, my mom would take me to the library all the time,” the student said. “That was our favorite pastime. She would take me to storytime, she would take me to check out a bunch of books.”

While Haines has always loved reading, she said that for a long time, she saw herself in a more STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) field, like marine biology. However, after taking a few science classes at Wor-Wic, she realized something better aligned with her passion for stories would be the right career choice.

“I was taking science classes at Wor-Wic, and I was like, ‘okay, I like this but maybe it’s not my thing,’” she noted. “I’m more of an English person. I was looking at things you could do with an English major, and for the longest time, I was undecided about what I wanted to do. Then one day I was researching majors and came across library science, and something clicked.”

The young student has already kick-started her work with the public library system. According to Jim Meckley, the FOPL president, Haines volunteers at the Ocean Pines Library every Thursday.

“She is very ambitious,” he said.

Meckley added that he met Haines when he and his wife were having dinner at Carrabba’s, and the library science-hopeful was their server. The FOPL president said that they got to talking, and she told them about her desired career path. She has since lent her time to the Ocean Pines facility each week.

“Sometimes you just have a feeling about people. They are genuine, ambitious, and they have everything going for them,” Meckley said of the scholarship recipient.

As such, Haines was awarded the $1,000 to continue her studies.

Meckley said the scholarship was conceived three years ago to provide funds for students looking to enter a library-focused field. As the FOPL president awarded Haines the check, he noted that he hopes to see the student back at the library in a paid capacity after she completes her studies.

“We are hoping maybe someday she’ll be employed here,” he said.