After years of hard work, Granville’s Ann Wink Children’s Library to host open house

Over the past few years, visitors of the Granville Library at 214 S. McCoy St. may have noticed an ongoing transformation of a certain section of the building. The room located just behind the main selection of books, has now completed its transition into the Ann Wink Children’s Library.

This new renovation comes with locally-sourced murals, new children’s books and activities all done in the memory of a clerk who spent decades serving the community and children in Putnam County.

“When kids would do a project, they would go to Miss Ann, sit on her lap, look her in the eyes and say ‘Look what I made,’” Granville Library Clerk Bernie Egan said. “She was very personal.”

According to Egan, the kids always came first to Wink. She would never hesitate to stop what she was doing to give a child an opportunity to be seen and heard.

“Those children remember that,” Egan said. “When people come in to visit they remember [Wink] and know how she was. It was always comfortable and she just saw you, the children especially. This is a tribute to her.”

Wink worked at the old Granville branch of the Putnam County Library for more than four decades and passed away a few years ago. She helped culminate a caring, loving place that children of many generations could come and enjoy learning, reading and feeling heard.

“She brought that energy that made people want to stay here,” Mural Artist Courtney Ossola said. “That’s what we are also trying to do now with this space.”

The children’s library purchased many new children’s books, alongside a multitude of activities that kids of all ages can enjoy. In the interest of completing the room, the organizers also wanted to create unique pieces of art from the community.

“It was really important to everyone involved that the art be reflective, of not just the namesake for the space and the donor and her memory, but also of the community,” Sara Egan said. “It would be really easy to go out and find a service, but the other way to approach it was to source the community and make sure that local talent is represented.”

The organizers were able to find the local help of Courtney Ossola, Jaclyn Ossola and Erika Dean to create two works of art on the library walls.

The first mural shows a culmination of inspiration from some of Wink’s favorite books including a grass bed with flowers surrounding a field of monarch butterflies, an elephant and some mice next to a strawberry.

“I didn’t want to just do a tribute to one of the books,” Courtney Ossola said. “I wanted to include all four and sort of blend them together in their own way to create something new.”

The accompanying art on the other wall depicts more butterflies in a forest, giving the room a completely unique experience.

“This was the first project of mine of this magnitude and I am grateful to have had this opportunity,” Dean said. “Nature and the environment is very important to me as well is community and providing the best for children.”

After creating an initial design, the artists were given the freedom to continue and adjust their work as it went from an idea to a physical work of art.

“What I liked about completing this was I was able to develop the design as I painted it,” Courtney Ossola said. “Compared to what I originally drew, it turned out so much more than what I anticipated.”

Both Courtney and Jaclyn grew up in Granville and remember their time with Wink well.

“Ann’s passion and love for children’s literature will be forever ingrained in our hearts,” Courtney said.

As the project comes to a close, the Granville library will welcome the public to come enjoy the new children’s library from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15.

The space was created through the donations, commitment and hard work of many organizations and community members.

The Granville Library would like to thank library patrons, book discussion group, board members, Director Jay Kalman, Assistant Director Marilyn Calbo, Ann Wink’s family, Linda Bryant’s family, Charlene Fassino’s family, Keli Egan, Rosaline Calbon, Ben Day, Patrick Harris, Jack Ossola, Toni’s Flowers & Gifts, Jenni Mixon, John Shimkus and countless others for their efforts in creating this community-first project.

“We sincerely thank you all for helping to make out children’s library a reality,” Bernie Egan said. “It could not have happened without your interest, support and excitement.”