Wicomico County to move main library to Shoemaker Pond; new Parsonsburg branch opens soon

Wicomico County will relocate its main public library from downtown Salisbury to the Shoemaker Pond property and open a new Parsonsburg branch within months, officials said during an interview on the Local Lens program.

Seth Hirschberger, executive director of the Wicomico County Public Library, said the county will take ownership of the former Ward Museum site and is already doing design and engineering work to convert the 10-acre Shoemaker Pond property into the library’s primary branch. He said ownership of the downtown building, the Paul S. Sarbanes Library, will transfer to Salisbury University as part of the arrangement.

The move is intended to make the main branch more accessible to families, seniors and countywide visitors, Hirschberger said. "Families with young children, seniors, it can be much more accessible there," he said, adding that the Shoemaker Pond site offers outdoor programming space and views that the county hopes will expand the library’s role as a community gathering place.

The county and library board have agreed to keep a downtown library presence. Hirschberger said the capital improvement plan includes funding for a smaller downtown branch of roughly 6,000 to 8,000 square feet to serve city residents and nearby neighborhoods.

Why this matters: county officials say the relocation will increase accessibility across Wicomico County and allow the library to offer new programming and quieter, purpose-built spaces. The project combines public funding with a new foundation-led capital campaign; Hirschberger said the state is contributing more than $6,000,000 toward the overall project, including $3,000,000 in the current capital budget, and the county is providing matching funds at levels not specified in the interview.

What else was announced

- Parsonsburg (formerly serving Pittsville residents): Hirschberger said the Pittsville branch, which has operated from a temporary trailer for about 20 years, will move three miles to Parsonsburg into new construction. The library board and county council voted to name that branch the Louis R. Riley Library; Hirschberger said the ribbon-cutting is expected later this year or in early 2026.

- Timeline for Shoemaker Pond: Design work is underway but construction depends on additional state funding. Hirschberger said the Shoemaker Pond main branch is not expected to open until 2027.

- Services to continue and expand: Hirschberger described the library’s countywide services, including three mobile vehicles (a bookmobile and a mobile learning lab among them), loanable Wi‑Fi hotspots, free public computers and digital content accessible via the library website. He said digital resources are the library’s second-largest “branch” by use and that the mobile learning lab includes technology such as 3‑D printers.

- Community supports and safety: The library has a community support center staffed by a trained social‑work‑type position to connect patrons with housing, food, employment and other services. Hirschberger said the library maintains a code of conduct for patrons and intends both to serve people experiencing homelessness and ensure the space remains usable for families and other visitors.

Funding and governance

Hirschberger described the library as closely tied to county government: all library properties are county-owned; the library’s budget is largely funded by Wicomico County with an appropriation from the state of Maryland; and the library board members are appointed by the county council. He said the project has "unprecedented support" from state and county sources but acknowledged uncertainty about some federal funding streams that previously supported training and innovation.

Partnerships and collections

The county’s arrangement with Salisbury University will keep the former museum building in public civic use, Hirschberger said, while the university retains ownership of portions of the former museum collection. He said rotating and some permanent exhibits from the Ward Museum collection will be displayed in the new library, and other parts of the collection will be exhibited downtown at a new museum space.

Quotes

"We're excited to have a library that the entire community can belong to all of Wicomico," Hirschberger said. "We're gonna have one of the most beautiful libraries in the country."

On local services: "We have three vehicles. We have a bookmobile... and a mobile learning lab... There’s all kinds of very cool technology that we can go around the county and do programs," he said.

On funding: "The state is contributing over $6,000,000 for this whole project, including $3,000,000 of which is in the budget in the capital budget for this year," Hirschberger said. He added that the county is matching at unspecified levels and that a foundation capital campaign has just begun.

What did not change

Hirschberger said the downtown branch will remain open during the transition and that the library will continue existing programs, digital services and mobile outreach throughout the county.

Looking ahead

Hirschberger said the Parsonsburg (Louis R. Riley) branch should open in months; the Shoemaker Pond main branch is scheduled for 2027, subject to additional state funding and the construction schedule. He urged community support through the library foundation’s capital campaign.

—Jenny Pastasak, host of Local Lens, conducted the interview with Seth Hirschberger, executive director of the Wicomico County Public Library.