Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County
🏢 Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County · Oakland, Maryland
Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County
Founded in 1915 by the Oakland Civic Club and named for Ruth Enlow, whose father's generosity shaped its early growth, this mountain-county library in western Garrett County has served Deep Creek Lake-area residents and Appalachian communities for more than a century. The Oakland main branch offers an in-house Memory Station for digitizing old VHS tapes, film negatives and slides — a rare service for such a remote, rural setting.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 9:15am–8pm |
| Tuesday | 9:15am–5:30pm |
| Wednesday | 9:15am–8pm |
| Thursday | 9:15am–5:30pm |
| Friday | 9:15am–5:30pm |
| Saturday | 9am–4pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 6 North Second Street, Oakland, MD 21550
Phone: (301) 334-3996
Website: relib.net
Plus Code: 87F2CH6V+F5 (Oakland, MD)
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📖 About Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County
Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County began in 1915 when the Oakland Civic Club established the Oakland Free Public Library, making it one of the earliest public library efforts in far-western Maryland. The library was renamed in memory of Ruth Enlow, whose father was a major benefactor responsible for funding much of the new facility. The main library relocated to its present building at 6 North Second Street in Oakland in 1950, and over the following decades expanded its reach by opening branches in Accident, Friendsville, Grantsville, and Kitzmiller — small communities scattered across Garrett County's mountain terrain. Garrett County is Maryland's westernmost and highest-elevation county, home to Deep Creek Lake, Swallow Falls State Park, and a string of Appalachian ridge towns; the library system serves a county larger than Rhode Island yet with a population under 30,000. Despite its remote setting the Oakland branch punches above its weight: it offers Libby and hoopla for digital borrowing, Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest for genealogy, the WHILBR (Western Maryland's Historical Library) digital archive, a Memory Station for digitizing VHS tapes and analog media, projectors and audiovisual equipment for loan, and meeting rooms for local nonprofits. The library also participates in Maryland's Marina/SHAREit statewide interlibrary loan network.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Founded 1915 by the Oakland Civic Club as the Oakland Free Public Library — named for Ruth Enlow in honor of her father's major financial support
- Serves Maryland's westernmost county (Garrett), larger than Rhode Island but with fewer than 30,000 residents across mountain terrain and five branch communities
- Memory Station at the Oakland branch: digitize your old VHS tapes, DVDs, camcorder footage, film negatives and slides — a rare rural technology service
- WHILBR (Western Maryland's Historical Library) digital archive provides free access to regional newspapers, maps and photographs
- Educational Toy, garden tool, fishing pole and Chromebook checkout alongside traditional book lending
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Garrett County cardholders can borrow, research, and stream free with these resources:
📚 Services
- Memory Station: digitize VHS tapes, DVDs, camcorder tapes, film negatives and slides in-branch
- Projectors, movie screens and audiovisual equipment for loan (Oakland branch)
- Educational Toys, garden tools, fishing poles, Chromebooks and Wi-Fi hotspots for checkout
- Genealogy research with Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest Online
- Meeting rooms for nonprofit organizations (Oakland and Grantsville branches)
- Marina/SHAREit interlibrary loan for statewide borrowing across Maryland
🎸 Programs
- Storytime (weekly at multiple branches)
- 2026 Reading Challenge and Summer Reading Club
- 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
- Teen Book Club and Books and Banter adult book club
- One-on-one tech help sessions
- Classics Buttons program for young readers
📍 Nearby Libraries in Western Maryland
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Ruth Enlow and why is the library named after her?
Ruth Enlow was a local figure whose father was a major benefactor of the Oakland Free Public Library, contributing significant financial support that helped the institution grow and build its facility. When the library was renamed in her memory, the new name honored both Ruth Enlow and her father's generosity to the Garrett County community.
Can I digitize old home movies or slides at the Ruth Enlow Library?
Yes. The Oakland main branch has an in-house Memory Station where you can digitize VHS tapes, DVDs, camcorder footage, film negatives, and slides — converting old analog media to digital files for free. Contact the library at (301) 334-3996 to check availability and make arrangements before your visit.
What are the evening hours at the Oakland branch?
The Oakland main branch is open Monday and Wednesday 9:15 a.m.–8 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 9:15 a.m.–5:30 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m.–4 p.m. It is closed on Sunday. Monday and Wednesday evenings until 8 p.m. are the best times for working residents to visit.
Does the Ruth Enlow Library serve communities beyond Oakland?
Yes. The system has five branches serving Garrett County's scattered mountain communities: the main Oakland branch plus satellite locations in Accident, Friendsville (currently at a temporary location), Grantsville, and Kitzmiller. Garrett County is Maryland's largest county by area and its most elevated, spanning Appalachian ridges from the Pennsylvania border to the West Virginia state line.
📜 This library has genealogy & local-history resources. See how library family-history research works and find other libraries with genealogy collections genealogy libraries by state.
🧰 This library lends a “Library of Things.” See what you can borrow besides books and find other libraries with a Library of Things Library of Things by state.
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