By Scott Mims

The Thorsby Public Library is well-hidden in the back of city hall, but the secret is coming out.
Nearly 60 people visited the library in January, compared to five people or less per month from January through September 2009, librarian Mary Angel reported.
“It’s like a well-kept secret. As more people come here, they tell other people,” Angel said.
Attendance started picking up in December and was spiked partly by the temporary closing of Jemison’s public library. The closing was due to the construction of a new municipal building in Jemison, which will house the library once complete.
Another attendance booster is the Senior Rx program, which assists eligible people 55 and older in paying for prescription medication. The program also helps disabled people with no prescription coverage. A representative is available each Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Now they’re coming back to check books out or use the computer,” Angel said of those benefiting from Senior Rx.
The Thorsby Library has a computer with Internet access and approximately 1,000 titles of fiction. Visitors may request a title unavailable on site, and the Chilton-Clanton Public Library can deliver any available titles from their facility.
Angel said popular requests include Sarah Palin’s autobiography, “Going Rogue: An American Life,” and anything by James Patterson or Janette Oke.
“There are a lot of good stories here,” she said.
Not all of those stories exist on print, however. Angel frequently finds herself chatting with visitors, recommending book titles and even helping a few aspiring novelists.
Lisa Moon is one of those aspiring writers. She frequents the library often.
“I have never enjoyed a library more. She (Angel) has such a passion about her books,” Moon said Friday.
Future goals of the library are to add a children’s reading program, another program for junior high and high school students and a book club.
For more information, call Thorsby City Hall at 646-3575.