Marion, the librarian is getting in step with tradition
Staff writer
A banner at the entrance proclaims Marion City Library as “Best Small Library in Kansas,” an honor bestowed just a few years ago. For Carol Laue, who will become library director Aug. 1, it’s a daily reminder of the legacy she’s inheriting.
“Oh, that’s not intimidating at all,” she said, with a laugh and a nod to the banner.
Laue (rhymes with “wow”) will step in when Janet Marler retires after 52 years at the library. But in a way, she has been preparing for the job her whole life.
Laue grew up in Marion after her family moved here when she was 3. As a child in the 1970s, she spent hours at the library, then housed in the city building. Her mother, Betty Sanders, served as president of the library’s board.
“The library was always icy cool in the summer,” she said. “I even loved the smell.”
Laue recalled yet another connection while interviewing for the director position: As a Marion High School student, she served on a committee that helped turn the former Santa Fe train depot – now the library’s home — into a youth center in the 1980s.
“It was pretty bare bones, but we cleaned up the building and set up a few pool tables,” she recalled. “My friends had a surprise birthday party for me there.”
The depot later was renovated and became the library’s home in 2002. Photos of the depot’s interior during those years are posted on the walls of the library.
And, of course, Laue loves books.
“I was that kid who got into trouble for reading a book after bedtime with a flashlight under the covers,” she said.
She counts Ken Follett, Barbara Kingsolver, and Ivan Doig among her favorite authors. Historical fiction is a favorite genre.
“If there’s a covered wagon on the cover, I’m going to read it,” she said.
After graduating from Kansas State, Laue built a career in public service, working for the Forest Service in Montana, the Bureau of Land Management in southern California, and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in Sumner County.
More recently, she worked with special-needs children and for a child-welfare agency.
Laue is especially looking forward to continuing programs that bring children into the library. Among them are story times, summer reading, and the “Read 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” challenge.
She also hopes to build on a foundation Marler established. The library’s collection includes more than 30,000 books, audiobooks and videos, along with e-books that patrons download hundreds of times each month.
Beyond books, patrons can borrow games, puzzles, and even specialty cake pans. The library also houses a renovated children’s storytelling area and the Kansas Room, home to genealogy resources and local and state historical records dating to 1875.
Laue already recognizes many patrons who come into the library, and many know her by her nickname, Kitty. Recently, she shelved books written by two former classmates, authors Julie Sellers and Chantal Nienstedt DeYoe.
“I’ve always had a passion for the depot, and the library, and the town of Marion,” Laue said.