LIVERMORE FALLS – Sheila Dorey’s voice broke and her eyes teared as she explained how much a part of her life the library has become.
She always knew it would be hard to say goodbye, but she hadn’t realized just how hard until she wrote her retirement letter and told her story.
The librarian, who has been at the helm of the Treat Memorial Library for 30 years, plans to join her husband of 36 years, Rick Dorey, in retirement.
“I want to be able to join him in his activities, do some traveling and fulfill some other dreams,” she said.
On March 11, she’ll walk away from the library and its patrons with “very mixed emotions.”
“I’ve been thinking about it and decided maybe it’s time to try new adventures,” she said. “I like being with people, serving the people and promoting the library. I’m a people person.”
Library trustees plan an open house for Dorey at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 10, at the library.
Dorey, 56, formerly of Jay, now of Winthrop, started as a substitute librarian when she was 26 and the librarian was Ruth Beedy.
Dorey worked her way up to assistant librarian and then librarian when Beedy retired in 1976.
Over the years, she has scoured bookstores, catalogs and done her share of reading as she chose top authors and good stories for patrons.
“I look for the ones I think people will enjoy; it’s just a feeling I get,” she said. “They usually like popular titles and authors.”
She also liked to get Maine books and books by Maine authors.
Dorey said she gets a lot of satisfaction when people come back and say they enjoyed the books.
Most of all, Dorey said, she liked working with the children and instilling a love of reading in them. One of her favorite things to do was to set up summer reading programs for children and their families.
Computers have been added to the library’s inventory. Books, videos and books on tape and other materials have also been added or increased.
There are more than 26,000 items among the library’s holdings.
The number of patrons and use of the library have both grown, she said.
One of the biggest changes Dorey oversaw was computerizing the card catalog, patrons’ library cards and adding bar codes to books to check them in and out. It took about five years to automate the system. Dorey is quick to point out that she didn’t do it alone and will miss working with her peers.
She is grateful for the support of staff, trustees, patrons and the community, she added.
“I have taken great pride in working at the library for almost 30 years,” Dorey said. “It has always been much more than just a job to me. I have given it my utmost attention to make it a place that people can be proud of. My career has been interesting, challenging and rewarding. I have really enjoyed working here, and I will truly miss the library and the people as it has been a big part of my life.”
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