Volunteers share love of books with Kingsbury students

Published 12:00 am Friday, October 29, 2004

With a stack of books on the table between them, Mary Haas and Julia Murnahan hum at their task like a well-oiled machine. Their rhythm is nearly an art form, their work occasionally punctuated by an amused chuckle as they sort the book into fiction, non-fiction, easy reader and biography piles to be placed on waiting shelves.

Three weeks ago they began turning the small room full of books at Kingsbury Elementary School into an organized, alphabetized, Dewey-decimalized library. The city school is actually the fourth local school to get the Haas-Murnahan team's attention: they've been busy.

"My grandkids go to Rock Hill," Haas explained. "One day I was at the middle school picking up my grandson and the librarian, Doris Childers, said she could use some help and I just started helping. Then she (Murnahan) said that next time I went over to help Doris let her know and she'd go too."

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"And here we are," Murnahan added with a laugh. "We wouldn't do it if we didn't love it."

The two ladies, who are sisters, lent their services to the Rock Hill Elementary School after that. This past spring

they volunteered at the Open Door School. Recently, Ironton parent, board member and volunteer Kathy Kratzenberg asked them to help her organize the

Kingsbury library.

Kingsbury principal Annette Massie said she appreciates the time and effort the three ladies have invested in her school.

"I'm excited about the library. I can't wait for it to be operational and we can have have the kids in there."