Mary Drew Powers sees the simple connections happen at the Whitefish Community Library.  

“A lot of people are regulars, and we get to know them by name,” Powers said. “Those relationships are important.” 

Walking between the stacks, she notes one patron whose name is listed on a brick on the building for donating in the 1990s for the construction of the library. Another she remembers from her days waiting tables long before coming to work at the library. Some are new faces of visitors stepping off the nearby Amtrak train.  

“One of our services is connections,” she said. “For some people, the library is a social place for people. There are a lot of studies about loneliness and how it can shorten your lifespan. I think that is one of the things that libraries provide is to be a social connection, even if it’s just to come in here and make a simple transaction of checking out a book.”  

Powers has served as the director of the library for three years, taking over from longtime Director Joey Kositzky after she retired in 2022. Calling herself an accidental librarian, Powers came to the field after first working in social work and serving as a volunteer at the Whitefish library.  

“I was looking for a low-key job,” she said of her move to the library part-time. “I found out that the Montana State Library was giving out scholarships to get a master’s degree in library science, so I applied.” 

After earning her master’s degree from the University of Washington Information School, she spent a few years each at the libraries in Missoula and Billings before returning to Whitefish. Many patrons know her from her time spent leading story time in Whitefish.  

Growing up in Minnesota, Powers recalls her parents had piles of books sitting next to their chairs waiting to be read. She loved pulling from the bookshelves, reading about Winnie-the-Pooh, “Harriet the Spy,” and eventually “Gone with the Wind.”  

Leaving college in her 20s, she moved to Whitefish for the winter in 1976 and, as she says, “just never left.” In her 40s, she earned her bachelor’s degree before working at Western Montana Mental Health and Lamplighter House. 

Pointing out that it’s a misconception that librarians spend their days reading, she grabs a book from her desk and then a few more from a shelf, creating a small stack of those that have come along recently, making her to-read list. Amongst the pile are the nonfiction novel “Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women's Ascent of Denali,” the bestselling management book authored by a naval commander, “It’s Your Ship,” and a detailed journal on bird observations called “The Backyard Bird Chronicles.” 

“I don’t read a lot of books, but I do browse a lot of books,” she says with a laugh.  

Stopping in the children’s section at one corner of the library, Powers points out engaging toys for youngsters and a reading nook designed to encourage curling up with a book. One of her goals as director was to increase the youth services offered. 

Youth programming was added, and visits to the library have also increased — the library has between 8,000 and 9,000 library card holders — but now patrons have mentioned the library is a bit noisier. Through a survey, the library also found that patrons reported the lighting as too dim. 

“So that’s part of our strategic plan to work on the facility,” Power said. “We plan to look at the design of the library so we can find out the best way to mitigate the noise and to increase the lighting.”  

Plans are in the works to update the library’s collection of Montana books, maximizing organization so patrons can select books. And working with nonprofit Climate Smart Glacier in coordination with the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, the library expects to host an air monitor showing the air quality in the library, which could serve as a refuge during periods of poor air quality, like during wildfires.  

Even with changes, the library seemingly looks to stay true to its early chapters.  

“There is a place in this world for a small town, low-tech library, and that's pretty much what we are,” she said. “We have a lot of personalized service. When you come in this library, you see one of us immediately saying hello.” 

Deputy Editor Heidi Desch can be reached at 406-758-4421 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.