The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutMounce, Clara (Librarian) B-CS librarian an open book System recognizing Mounce for (100 years: no-nonsense style By COURTNEY GRAFFT Eagle Staff Writer Dressed sharply in a pinstripe suit in her larg~ office, Clara Mounce looks more like a hard-nosed business- woman on Wall Street than the community librarian: It's her 25th year in that position, and March 12 marks Mounce's 75th birthday. To honor her "100 years," the Friends of the Bryan+College Station Public Library System are hosting a roast next weekend. The event will be Saturday at Pebble Creek Country Club, and the mayors of Bryan and College Station will Eagle photo/Dave McDermand Clara Mounce Is celebratIng 25 years as head librarian of the Bryan+Coilege Station Public Library System. designate March 4, 2006, as Clara Mounce Appreciation Day. "It's a well-deserved honor," said roaster Marvin Tate, who has known Mounce for 23 years. "She's been instrumental in getting the library system to where it is today. " See MOUNCE, Page A6 I - - --- -- --- Page A6 The Bryan-College Station Eagle Sunday, February 26, 2006 Mounce I~E'oni>;Alik -'.:~'::.:.A:;;:':: .,:...:;.....,;,......-. "''',4 Mounce, who has become a local celebrity during her time as the community's chief librarian, said she looks for- ward to the luncheon and catching up with friends. "I love these people," she said. "They never tell me no." The phrase "Don't take no for an answer" might as well have originated with Mounce. As she explained, "I like getting my way. I lose some of the bat- tles, but I win the war." "She presents things that make you think, 'How could you not agree with her?'" said Mary Fran Troy, co-chair of the Friends of the Library board. "She just allows you to under- stand what the community needs." Mounce said some of the things the community needed during the past 25 years were a larger College Station library and a restoration' of the Carnegie Library. Both goals were accomplished. During the Carnegie restora- tion, Mounce would trek daily to the downtown Bryan site and don her customized gold hard hat to watch every inch of construction. "Always having a project kept me motivated," she said. Mounce's 25 years have not been without challenges. A 1995 arson that damaged the Bryan Public Library shook the community to the core, she said. "It took me a week to get over. the shock of it, but after that week, I said, 'Well, let's get to work!'" Mounce said. I FUN FACTS LIVED IN BRYAN SINCE: 1978 FAVORITE BOOK: To Kill a Mock. ingbird by Harper Lee READING RIGHT NOW: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros HOBBIES: Horses, reading OTHER LANGUAGES: Italian And get to work she did. The library was open for business 164 days later - four months earlier than initially anticipat- ed. "The fIre was a very devas- tating blow, but we had a beau- tiful building come out of it," Mounce said. Through the years Whether it's reading or writ- ing, Mounce said she has ink in her blood and always hopes to learn more. "[Learning] is like climbing a mountain," she said. "The higher you go, the more adren- aline you get." Libraries have changed a lot since Mounce began her career. She said computers and other media besides books now play a large role in what attracts people to libraries, which she describes as "the original 'googlers.''' Mounce has now served in her position longer than any other previous librarian, and through the years she has met her share of celebrities - fIrst lady Laura Bush and authors Rosemary Wells, Will Hobbs and Jon Scieszka included. Even after meeting such high-profIle folks, Mounce said the most interesting people to . her are the devout library users. "It's just stimulating to be able to have a conversation with someone about what you've read," she said. "People who don't use the library just don't know what they're miss- ing." The Bryan+College Station Public Library System includes three facilities - the News Bryan Public Library, the Carnegie Library and the Larry J. Ringer Library, which opened in College Station in 1998. Mounce does everything in the libraries from answering e-mails about lost library cards to managing the libraries' budgets, not to mention being responsible for 46 employees. "I love the way she manages people with her humor and her fairness and her firmness," said Jeanne Mitchell, a mem- ber of the library advisory board. The entire Mounce family will be present Saturday for the roasting. As of Friday, about 150 people had made reserva- tions to attend the celebration. "Other people say they make contacts; Clara makes friends," Troy said. The event begins with a silent auction at 11 a.m., fol- lowed by the lunch and pro- gram at noon. Proceeds from the silent auction will go to Friends of the Library. For more information about the celebration, call Michele Zinn at 690-3627. Page A10 The Bryan-College Station Eagle Sunday, March 12, 2006 .The Eagle Donnis Baggett Publisher and Editor Robert C. Borden Opinions Editor Ray Wilkerson Executive Editor editboard@theeagIe.com Happy birthday to a II community friend I It isn't polite to mention a lady's age, but today is too spe- I cial to ignore. Clara Mounce, our wonderful community librarian, turns 75 today, although it would be hard to tell by looking at her. She still is full of vim and vigor and j more than a little dose of vinegar. While the birthday alone I would be worthy of notice, it is coupled with a celebration I of her 25th year as community librarian, although the offi- cial anniversary won't be until November. Combined, the two events equal 100 years of Clara. Last weekend, she was honored with a lunch hosted by the Friends of the Bryan-College Station Library System. It was billed as a roast, and the speakers had some amusing stories, but it was hard to come up with anything embar- rassing about Mounce. She's led too good a life, a life of service and dedication to others. This community has been lucky to have Mounce as our librarian since 1978 - the fIrst three years as an assistant librarian. Following in the footsteps of dedicated, involved librarians over the past century, Mounce has worked hard to make our library the best it can be - and that is pretty I darned good. Most communities would be envious of a library system as fme as ours. We use the word "system" because it truly is. The Bryan Library continues in its longtime location on 26th Street. Bryan's fIrst public library, the 1903 Carnegie in downtown Bryan, has been renovated and restored into the magnifi- cent Carnegie Center for Brazos Valley History. When thugs set fIre to the Bryan Library in 1995, many people would have thrown up their hands. But not Clara Mounce. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work. Through persuasion, leadership and a lot of effort by the head librarian, the library quickly reopened better than ev~r in fIve months. Thanks to Mounce's leadership, we now have a fme library on Harvey Mitchell Parkway in College Station. The College Station Library had its start as a branch of the . Bryan Library in 1987, opening with 10,000 books in a rent- ed 3,000 square-foot building. Two years later, it had expanded to 6,000 square feet. College Station voters approved construction of their fIrst permanent library in 1995, and it opened its doors on March 12, 1998, across from A&M Consolidated High School. It is a fme addition to the local library system. Mounce also spearheaded efforts to automate many of the library operations. Computer terminals and outlets for patron laptops now are familiar and well-used in the local . libraries. Mounce has served on numerous library committees and task forces around the state and country. Her reputation is so great that people come calling from near and far to learn how to improve their own local libraries. Perhaps we feel a special kinship to Mounce, because the Coleman native got her start as a proofreader at the Abilene Reporter-News, and if she hadn't answered the siren call of the Dewey Decimal System, she might have built a fme career in journalism. We also love her because, over the years, we have never been able to stump her or her staff with a question they ~ouldn't fmd the answer to. Clara Mounce is more than a fme librarian, though. She . is an accomplished horsewoman with a great love for Ara- bian horses, and she is a fme cook, specializing in Italian dishes she learned to make when stationed with her Navy husband in Naples, Italy. Thankfully, Clara Mounce has no intention of retiring. We wish her a very happy birthday today, and we know she will be around promoting her libraries for years to come. In fact, we'll make book on it. ~ 1