[Michlib-l] At long last, retirement

[Leopold Freedman]

A delightful essay.  Wishing you a long and happy retirement.

On Thu, Aug 20, 2020 at 2:48 PM Doug Koschik via Michlib-l <
michlib-l at mcls.org> wrote:

> Hello everyone,
>
> As was the case with so many of you, one of my favorite places as a child
> was the public library--in my case, specifically, the Mark Twain Branch of
> the Detroit Public Libraries--which, unfortunately, no longer exists. In
> 1957, the new Chandler Park Branch, located much closer to my house,
> opened, and I was faced with a dilemma: Do I attend the grand opening of
> the branch or stay home and watch the premiere of the television series
> Blondie? I chose to go to the library.
>
> In 1966, I began working at the same branch as a page. I'm not sure if it
> was because I had reached the ripe old age of 14 or only because I was a
> library employee, but I was delighted to be permitted, finally, to check
> out items from the Adult section of the library. (Previously, I had had to
> read Adult items in the building itself. The only items juveniles could
> check out were from the juvenile section. And the juvenile section
> contained only quality literature. Trash like The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew
> was not allowed.) As a special bonus, I even had access to the really Adult
> items housed behind the Circulation Desk. I truly felt like the "sir" that
> one kid, amazingly, called me.
>
> $1.25 an hour was a decent wage back then, but inflation was rearing its
> ugly head, and eventually I received a raise to $1.75.
>
> I had a good run at Chandler Park, but after a couple of years, I left
> after a policy dispute with the new branch manager. A child needed to look
> up the definition of a German word for a school assignment, and the
> reference librarian, who didn't know how to use a German dictionary, was
> struggling. I helped out, and the child got his definition. The manager
> reprimanded me, however, and told me that, besides shelving books, the only
> things a page was allowed to do was tell patrons the time of day and point
> the way to a librarian. I admit this wasn't the last time I've disagreed
> with a library policy.
>
> Nevertheless, I maintained a fond spot in my heart for libraries and
> eventually received an M.L.S. from the University of Michigan. My first
> full-time professional position was at Delta College, near Bay City. I
> truly enjoyed that job, but still, I recall that sometime around my second
> week there, I started thinking, "Hmmm ... retirement ... how does that work
> precisely? It doesn't sound like such a bad thing."
>
> Well, 46 years later, I've decided to try it out. After 30 years at the
> Baldwin Public Library, during ten of which I've been Director, I've
> decided to hang up my boots. My last day of work will be January 15, 2021.
> The Baldwin Public Library will conduct a search for my replacement, with
> the aim of having that person in place by January. The posting will be
> issued shortly.
>
> I have five more months to go, and I'm sure that I'll be seeing a number
> of you during that period, but I do want to take the time now to thank so
> many of you for the support and guidance you've provided me over the course
> of my career.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Doug
>
> --
> Doug Koschik
> Director
> Baldwin Public Library
> 300 W. Merrill St.
> Birmingham, MI  48009
> E-mail: doug.koschik at baldwinlib.org
> Telephone:  248-554-4681
> Fax:  248-647-6393
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