A lot has changed in the past 37 years. When Carol Ann Bunch of Bamberg first began working as a librarian in 1970, there were no computers in use and books were checked out using a card system. To search for a book, patrons eased out the long, narrow wooden drawers of the card catalogue and thumbed through the 3 by 5’s.

Now Bunch is easing out the door of the Bamberg County Public Library, where she spent 16 of her years as librarian and library manager. She will retire on Aug. 31. A reception will be held in her honor from 3-5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 26 at the library. The public is invited to attend.

Bunch graduated from Winthrop College in 1967 with a degree in library science. She did her graduate studies at Winthrop and the University of South Carolina, and then worked as the children’s librarian at the Orangeburg County Public Library from 1970 to 1978.

When Bunch joined the staff of the Bamberg County Public Library in the fall of 1978, the only technology on hand was one computer that was used by employees to dial into the State Library to search for books.

“The biggest changes I have seen in my years here in Bamberg have been the addition and expansion of technology,” Bunch said. “We went from the one dial-up computer to the 16 public computers and three online public access catalogs for patrons that we have now.”

To make way for changing technology and to better serve patrons, the Bamberg County Library expanded its facility, growing from 34,000 to 68,000 square feet in 2003. A children’s area and public meeting room were added at that time.

“We are very fortunate today to have the facility we do,” Bunch said. “We owe it to a group of citizens (Public Advocates of the Library System), Sen. (John) Matthews, former Rep. Thomas Rhoad and an active library board that was determined to see our library updated.”

Once the renovation was completed, the FRIENDS of the Bamberg County Public Library took up where PALS left off.

“The FRIENDS have been instrumental in getting the landscaping and irrigation system and in providing financial and moral support for the library,” Bunch said.

The FRIENDS continue to actively raise money through monthly book sales to sponsor programs and materials not covered by the regular budget, Bunch said.

Bunch regrets seeing a downward trend in recreational reading among adults. Most leisure readers now are the very young school children and senior citizens, Bunch said.

Tuesday mornings throughout the school year, Bunch has held “Story Hour” for preschoolers. Nannett Davis and her crowd from Baby Dear Daycare in Bamberg have been regulars at the weekly event.

“Carol Ann has always done a really good job with story-time, and she would always help me pull a list of books to take back to the nursery when we had a theme we were reading about,” Davis said.

Davis will miss Bunch’s personal touch when it comes to ordering books. Bunch had a knack for knowing what her regular patrons liked to read and having it on hand as soon as it was available in the system, she said.

Sara Thigpen, extension librarian with the Aiken-Bamberg-Barnwell-Edgefield Regional Library System, has worked with Bunch for many years.

“It has been a joy to work with someone as dedicated to the Bamberg County Library and the Bamberg community as Carol Ann, and it will be a loss to our library system to have her leave the manager’s position in Bamberg,” Thigpen said. “However, I know she will continue to give of her time and talents to this community.”

Mary Jo Dawson, director of the ABBE, said Bunch’s leadership, energy and loyalty to the library’s mission will be missed.

“Under Carol Ann’s leadership, the Bamberg County Public Library has improved significantly during the past eight years,” Dawson said. “She has worked to create a library environment that is welcoming to all ages and has done a wonderful job selecting library materials with wide appeal to the community.”

Dawson commended Bunch for playing an instrumental role in the fund-raising efforts that led to an expanded headquarters library and her active participation in the design and construction phase of the building program. Bunch, Dawson said, has done a great job establishing positive working relationships with library patrons, her co-workers at the library and the ABBE Regional Library System, the library board and FRIENDS.

During her two stints as library manager in Bamberg, from 1978 to 1986 and from 1999 to 2007, Bunch depended on a staff of reliable co-workers. Elaine Tant, who worked side by side with Bunch for many of those years, was one such employee.

“Elaine was my right hand, my left hand and, at times, my head, too,” Bunch said. “It has been wonderful to work with someone I could completely depend on and who never complained about stepping up to the plate under any circumstance.”

Bunch has benefited not only from dependable staff but also the support of her husband, Sonny Bunch.

“Sonny has built everything from a doghouse for Clifford the Big Red Dog to a castle entrance for the ’Once Upon a Time’ summer reading program,” Bunch said.

Bunch sees the FRIENDS as being vital to the library and its future.

“We need a very active lobby to insure that the county realizes what an asset the library is.” Bunch said. “People might not realize it, but the library is the first place a lot of people come when they are considering moving to Bamberg County, and they draw a first impression of what our county has to offer.”

Bunch hopes people will never lose sight of the importance of books.

“Libraries are going more and more in the direction of technology but I hope people realize that a good book can never be replaced,” Bunch said. “Public libraries, at times, are the only avenue that many of our citizens have to access books.”

The Bamberg County Library is located at the corner of North Street and Railroad Avenue. For more information, call 803-245-3022.

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