First stop on the Montgomery County PA library tour! If you want to know what I am talking about, look here.

On December 27, 2022, my husband and I visited the Pottstown Public Library.

It’s a long trip to Pottstown from my house, about 40 miles, which is why I have never been in this library. In fact, I have rarely visited the city; it’s just way off my usual track. So, I was really looking forward to seeing the place.

After I came home, I read up on the history of the library, something I now resolve to do for each library before I visit its site. There has been a library here since 1810, working its way through several locations as it grew, finally ending up here in the former post office in the 1960’s (the post office moved to a newer building down the street).

Pottstown is a faded small industrial city awaiting its renewal (which I am sure will come, as surrounding areas have been gaining population over the past couple of decades due to better transportation access and other factors). It’s got a wonderful main street with a lot of great old buildings and the library fits right in. I like the look of the place.

We entered the big front doors. The circulation desk is on the left, seating over to the right, and there are two levels of adult books on a main floor and a mezzanine.

A librarian noticed our gawking and shuffling as we stood wondering where to start. I explained my mission and she gave me a quick orientation on the layout of the building. We walked around the main floor a bit:

Guess what, they have specialty cake pans you can check out. I’ve seen this in one other library and I love the idea. It makes me want to bake a shaped cake. I would have selected one but I did wonder if the countywide policy of being able to drop off a book checked out from one library at any other county library would apply to a cake pan, so I didn’t since I would have to come so far to return it! I love the idea, though, that the library can circulate such items.

Next we went up on the mezzanine. Here is a view to the main floor. The first looks back to the entrance; the second is along the main floor.

Did you see that tiled area across the front of the building in the first photo, just as you come in the entrance? I had been puzzled why it was there, but once I learned that the library had been a post office, I understood. The tile floor was the lobby area and I bet there was a long counter across the whole room across which the postal transactions were made, with the sorting and etc. area behind it.

I do love figuring out the mysteries and secrets of old buildings.

Next, we went down into the basement, now the children’s area. This space was wonderful, large and with lots of nooks and crannies for different ages of children and their reading needs.

I meant to take more photos but I got absorbed in talking to one of the children’s librarians, who told me more about the library and mentioned that there was an attic yet to be renovated, with plans just in the beginning stages. I would love to see such a thing work out – just imagine what it could be like!

On my way out of this area I noticed they had a display of books directed at adults: Old Favorites to re-read. I picked up a Nancy Drew book to take home.

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Once back upstairs, I got to work on my poem. I chose to write my Word of the Day poem (Look here if you wonder what I am talking about).

Here it is:

cajole : to persuade with flattery or gentle urging especially in the face of reluctance : COAX

how it cajoled me
the book from the bottom shelf
flinging out drama
I hadn’t known I needed
in wild strings of sentences

tanka 374 : 12/27/22

Attribution: “Cajole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cajole. Accessed 27 Dec. 2022.

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After I finished my work, I checked out my books, chatting some more with the librarian at the desk. Now that I know how to get to this library, I hope to return and spend more time writing. I felt very at home here. Thank you, Pottstown Library!