Sunday 19 December 2010

Sunday December 19th, 2010 The Last Hurrah

The Last Hurrah

I began writing this column over a year ago, it’s my final one. After 33 years with Thunder Bay Public Library I will be retiring shortly. Things have changed so much. When I started we had a card catalogue and telex machine. There are a lot of things I'm going to miss about the Library.

Books

I will miss spending my days surrounded by my favourite authors – Lorna Landvik, Clive Cussler, Billie Letts, Fannie Flagg and others. Now I will depend on the library to email me when something new comes out. I just have to login to My Library Card, Search the Catalog for an author, then Save As A Preferred Search. Go to Patron Record, then Preferred Searches, Mark it for Email and Update the List. It’s that easy.


Treats

It might be a poinsettia for Christmas, crocus bulbs in the spring, hot chocolate mix in the winter, a brick of ice cream in the summer. You have no idea how much these little treats mean to us. I’ll say a big thank you to Tom and Tauno, you’ll be missed.


Local History Collection

You’ve probably noticed I can’t say enough about our Local History Collection. Being a Reference chick at heart it’s one of the things I’m most proud of. That group of filing cabinets was here when I came and will be here long after I’m gone. Please remember us and take advantage of our files.


Writing This Column

It was a joy to write a column and then have someone call and ask for books you’ve suggested. When you tell them you wrote it and they say “Are you Karen?” you feel like this is your 15 minutes of fame.

It felt wonderful to write columns that may have made you smile, brought back a memory or helped you with a problem.


My Working Family

We may be a little dysfunctional but many people here are like family. I’d also like to thank the Reference Student Helpers. It’s been a pleasure supervising you and I wish you well. Over the years I’ve watched former ones have families of their own and it’s always a treat to see them years later, Vicki and Deborah come to mind. Our students have gone on to become nurses, doctors and surprise, librarians.


ESL Students

I’ll miss providing tours for the English As A Second Language students .It was so nice to introduce our library to these students who are so appreciative. I hope they enjoy the library for years to come.


Dedicated Customers

We have customers that have used the library year after year to work on special projects such as genealogy. It’s a pleasure to see you and on a bad day, a friendly conversation can keep us going.


Coffee Breaks

I’ve always joked that you could pop in for a coffee break and probably find us having the same conversation year after year. It’s like an ongoing soap opera. Our chats could bring us to tears of laughter or tears of sorrow. I guess I’ll be spending my coffee breaks alone. But…you know where to find me.


Goodbye

I appreciate the time to express my feelings and hope I haven’t offended anyone. Remember, the next time you visit your public library be kind to the staff, they’re doing the best that they can and they’re doing it all for you. The library is here for your enjoyment. Please take advantage of all that we have to offer. Bye now…


Karen Craib is a Library Technician

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