Ohio Librarian Catalogues Carnegie's Monuments to Knowledge

By Lawrence Biemiller

Westerville, Ohio -- It's clear that chance and circumstance conspired secretly for years to prepare Mary Ellen Armentrout for a seemingly modest project, one whose popularity now astonishes her.

A fortuitous interview for a job in a community-college library introduced her to what has become her career. Then a graduate-school course in library history piqued her interest. Sports-car rallies with her ex-husband taught her how to read maps -- an essential skill if you're going to be