Meet the Branch Managers: Sharon Franklin, Walton Branch

My name is Sharon Franklin and I am the Branch Manager at the Walton Branch. I was raised in Northwest Ohio, in the country, about 20 minutes from the nearest library. Because this was the 50’s we were rather isolated, went to town once a week for groceries, piano lessons, catechism and the library visit. At that time, the limit on books was 5 per person. I would have one read by the time we got back home and that really irritated my mother. I think she wanted me to space them out so they would last until next Saturday.

As I got older and the books got longer, my addiction got worse. And there is no cure in sight! I started paging in the children’s department of my county library when I was 15. I graduated from Wittenberg University with my Bachelor’s in English, University of Denver with my library degree and began working at the new medical school library in Duluth, Minnesota. There were 2 employees – the Director and me. When I relocated to Toledo I worked in bookstores for about 10 years. I returned to libraries about 20 years ago and have since been with BCPL.

My favorite thing about the Walton Branch is being so connected to the community. Sometimes I wish we had more space, more books, more everything, but the best part will always be my co-workers throughout the system and the residents we get to know and serve.