Her love of books started like so many of us – reading under the covers with a flashlight well past her bedtime. But for Shauna Beulah of Federalsburg, her passion for reading became more than a hobby, leading her to become the first paid Branch Manager of the St. Michaels Branch of the Talbot County Free Library (TCFL) in 1986 – a job she will be retiring from this spring. Her 40-year legacy culminates with the newly expanded library opening its doors on March 21.
Raised in Lancaster County, Virginia, Beulah worked in her high school library as a young adult. She later met her husband while living in Virginia. After marrying him almost 50 years ago, they moved to the Eastern Shore, where he worked for Black and Decker. She recalls, “I had a friend who said to me, when we were getting married, ‘You are coming to the paradise of the earth.’ It has been wonderful living here.”
After Beulah arrived, she looked for a job, and a friend introduced her to the TCFL in Easton, which needed a part-time evening circulation person. She volunteered before being hired in 1984. It was perfect as she started her family. The job grew into a full-time job. During this time, Beulah decided to complete an associate’s degree from the Library Associate Training Institute of Maryland. In June 1981, the TCFL opened the St. Michaels Branch in a rented location on Talbot Street, operated by volunteers. In 1986, Beulah became the first paid Branch Manager there.
“This area was underserved. Although the Book Mobile serviced St. Michaels and the Bay Hundred area, the residents here needed much more. The Talbot County Government finally decided to fund a part-time paid position, and I was hired,” she shares.
The current St. Michaels Branch, located on 106 Fremont Street, was created in 1988 from a vacant garage owned by the Town of St. Michaels, which was leased for $1 each year. Beulah remembers how the new space provided seating for the first time and what a difference that made to people feeling comfortable and welcome to linger at the library. The Talbot Street location only had one bench in the entire library.
“In 1988, at our new location, we could now provide all kinds of services, including story time, which I did. This was especially nice because Head Start was nearby, and the kids could walk to us for story time, where we could also show films. This became one of my favorite activities in the library,” Beulah states.
In 1994, Beulah got a paid assistant, and the St. Michaels Library was able to add Saturday hours. By 2000, the library was bursting at the seams. The space was renovated and expanded in 2003 through the support of the town, community members, and the Talbot County Free Library Foundation, which purchased an adjacent property to provide additional space for the library and parking.
One of Beulah’s memories during the renovations was moving to a temporary location in Muskrat Park and dealing with Hurricane Isabel. Her staff and volunteers transferred all the books from the bottom shelves in that location to Acme-donated shopping carts. This helped them avoid the 18 inches of water flooding into the building.
“And we didn’t lose one book. It was, it was absolutely amazing,” she says proudly.
Over the years, Beulah received awards for the principles behind her work. In 2020, she received an Outstanding Employee Award from Citizens for Maryland Libraries. The award is presented to a library employee or team who has made exceptional contributions to the library, particularly in the areas of customer service or community outreach. Dana Newman nominated Beulah for her strong commitment and passion toward inclusion, partnerships, excellent customer service, and collaboration with the community. She has created a warm and welcoming space for everyone who walks through the library door.
“I was aware from a young age of inclusion. In the 60s, my own local library in Virginia wasn’t welcoming to me because of my race. I wanted the Black community in St. Michaels to feel welcome because this was their library too. We have worked hard to remove any barriers that would prevent people from using the library,” Beulah concluded.
Over the years, Beulah made an extra effort to reach out to residents in the St. Michaels and Bay Hundred areas to help them in any way that she could. This even included delivering materials to ill customers and welcoming children to explore the library whenever they could.
“Shauna is not only the Branch Manager for the St. Michaels Library, but she is also an ambassador for the library. She truly believes in libraries and the services they provide to the community. Shauna makes everyone feel welcome at the library, and she makes our patrons feel like friends. She is the most compassionate and caring person I have ever had the privilege of knowing, and she will be greatly missed. I have spent the past eight years watching and observing her, and I hope that I can make her proud as her successor,” comments Amy Wise, Assistant Branch Manager, St. Michaels Library.
When reflecting on her 40 years with the library, Shauna shares, “I have always been aware of what the volunteers have meant to the library – my relationship with them and what I have learned from them and hopefully what I taught them.”
When Shauna initially came to the library, the library had 38 volunteers and relied on them for shelving, circulation, and children’s programs. Many volunteers became her personal friends. Since the library was automated in 1992 and since COVID, the number of volunteers has been reduced significantly.
The new renovations to the St. Michaels Library reflect Beulah’s passion for her community with the addition of study rooms for quiet reading and reflection, an enlarged meeting room for public use, a computer area, dedicated “Maker Space” for teens, a children’s area, and a café space in the front of the library called the “Friends Corner,” which was made possible by the Friends of TCFL for people to have their coffee, mingle and read.
“One of my favorite quotes about the library is when you absolutely, positively have to know, ask the library,” she quips.
The hours of the St. Michaels Branch of the Talbot County Free Library are Monday and Thursday 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For further information, visit https://www.tcfl.org/or call 410-745-5877. The Grand Opening of the St. Michaels Branch will be held on Saturday, March 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 106 Fremont Street in St. Michaels, Maryland
Pictured is Shauna Beulah of Federalsburg, who will be retiring this spring as the manager of the St. Michaels Branch of the Talbot County Free Library.
