The love of learning,

the sequestered nooks,

And all the sweet serenity of books.

--Henry W. Longfellow

All roads lead to the Princess Anne Library. Central to downtown, the library has something for everyone: young and old alike pluck treasures from bookshelves and media racks. The library is a true community center, hosting 50 to 60 groups each year, in addition to the the Town Council, which meets there on a regular basis. Organizations such as McDonald's and the U.S. Census find it a convenient and an accessible place to conduct training. Santa even stops by each December to hold court with children from throughout the County.

A computerized and thoroughly cross-referenced catalog makes books, CDs, videos, and magazines more accessible. And now that Princess Anne is a member of the Tri-County Library Consortium, materials from other counties are also easy to access, and can be delivered to any library of choice.

Patrons can access the Internet from several computers, located in the main reading and children's room, or they can connect to the library via the Internet from their own home computer by pointing their browsers to www.some.lib.md.us, enabling them to use of the libraries catalog, renew books, or submit questions or comments for library staff.

Lifelong reading is enthusiastically promoted at the library. The library sponsors several community reading programs, and produces and distributes packets for parents of newborns, in cooperation with the Somerset County Health Department, which include information about parenting, and a family library card.

At storytime, children come to listen to a story read aloud, and the Summer Reading Program (conducted June-August), encourages them to participate in a wide variety of activities, including craft programs and presentations by area experts. And during the holidays patrons are invited to substitute the gift of a food item in the place of paying fines for overdue books, as part of the library's Food for Fines Program.