BY BETTY SNIDER 
HQMC MF COMMSTRAT 

Marine Corps libraries provide Marines and their families a vital place to connect, especially when stationed abroad or in remote locations.  

“It’s important to have a space that’s like home, and the library is a lot like that,” said Rachel Drake, manager of the Shadow Mountain Branch Library on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms. 

Located deep in Southern California’s high desert, Twentynine Palms is undeniably remote—the nearest Walmart is a 30-minute drive, and the closest mall is over an hour away.  

“This isn’t the beach,” Drake joked. “It isn’t LA.” 

Living in Southern California comes with a high cost of living, and Marines and their families are always looking for affordable ways to spend their downtime.  

The library is one option to fill that need, and the modern library welcomes visitors for a variety of programs, not just to check out books. It provides a convenient place to make social connections, especially when you're new to the base.  

The library also offers online access to additional resources, including classes, periodicals, digital books, and movies.  

Igniting a Love of Learning 

“We have something for every age,” Drake said. Located near family housing, the branch serves many families with children—offering lap sit storytime for kids under 3, regular storytime for preschoolers, summer reading programs for all ages, and teen clubs.  

“We try to foster that lifelong love of reading and learning,” she said.  

The library staff also supports spouse book clubs by securing extra copies of books for club members, mindful of the challenges of military life. “We’re on the spouse pages, and we see the comments that there is nothing to do here,” said Drake, who is married to a Marine. 

Highlighting the Desert Locale 

The Twentynine Palms staff also takes advantage of the uniqueness of the location. 

In January, the library sponsors a star party to take advantage of the area’s dark sky designation.  

“We try to work with what we have here,” Drake said. The library provides high-powered telescopes, while a local astronomy club joins in with additional equipment and expertise. 

Twentynine Palms is also home to the desert tortoise, which roams the base grounds and training areas. Motorists take care to avoid hitting these slow-moving creatures. 

The library partners with the Tortoise Research and Captive Rearing Site (TRACRS), which leads conservation efforts for this threatened species.  

TRACRS staff sometimes bring tortoises to the library, where visitors can feed them and learn about their long lifespans—up to 80 or 90 years. 

Beyond stargazing and tortoise encounters, the library also offers practical tools for everyday life. 

Loaning More Than Books 

Another resource at Twentynine Palms is the Library of Things. 

Patrons can borrow everyday items—pressure cookers, dehydrators, steamers, dollies, DVD players, and more—for free. “Try before you buy,” Drake said. “Maybe you don’t want to buy a balloon pump to inflate balloons. Just borrow ours.” 

The logistics came naturally for the staff, she said. “We’re in the business of checking things out anyway.”  

Drake’s creativity and resourcefulness stem from her personal journey into the world of libraries. 

Finding Her Calling 

Drake initially studied to be a teacher, earning her bachelor’s degree in history from Pacific Lutheran University. After some time in a classroom as a student teacher, she discovered it wasn’t for her.  

She was living in El Paso, Texas, at the time and saw a posting for a library technician job at Fort Bliss. That job propelled her onto a different career path.  

“I just liked the mission and the purpose,” Drake said. “You get to serve those who serve, and at the library we get to do fun stuff.” 

After earning a master’s degree in library sciences from the University of North Texas, Drake began a career that has so far led her to work exclusively in military libraries. 

She has also worked at an installation in Germany and at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan.  

Loving the Job 

Drake can’t pinpoint just one thing she enjoys about her job.  

It’s the little day-to-day interactions that help make the job worthwhile. She loves the look of relief on a Marine’s face when he stops in to see if he can get maps laminated before a training exercise or the joy patrons express when picking up the newest release in a series they’re reading. The library is happy to help. 

During a briefing, a young Marine asked a question. “If we come to the library, are we going to get yelled at?”  

When she reassured him there would be no hollering, she surprised him with news that Marines can drop in to play video games on the big screen television.  

Bringing Magic to the Library 

Drake especially loves planning and participating in special events like the Harry Potter Night held in Iwakuni several years ago. 

“I dressed up as Professor McGonagall with my cloak and a hat,” she recalled. To promote the event, she 3D-printed dragons and had colleagues pick them out of a bag. At the time, some leaders within the organization had not read the popular book series and were unfamiliar with the world of Harry Potter. 

The base’s commanding officer attended and played wizarding chess, winning a magic wand. Both parents and children raved about the event, which drew more participants than the popular annual summer reading program. The base CG gave an enthusiastic “Yut!” in concurrence with the praise. 

“I can’t afford to take my kids to Universal Studios Japan,” one parent said. “This was like going there. When are you going to do it again?”  

Comments like that make all the planning and effort worth it. Drake and the library team are planning more fun events, with Star Trek Day, Speak Like A Pirate Day, and a Mad Hatter Tea Party on the horizon.  

“Marine Corps libraries are a wonderful, and often underused, base resource,” Drake said. “I encourage everyone to check out (pun intended) what the library has to offer!”