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Talent Library bids farewell to Smith Longtime staffer retires after 35 years of service By MEG LANDERS TALENT - Noah Berman is impressed with Betty Smith's knowledge of the Talent Library. "She helps me find a lot of books and stuff," says the 11-year-old Talent resident. "She knows like ... all the books in the library." To Noah, who's recently completed the "Left Behind" series, Smith and the library are synonymous. "She's worked here ever since I was born, and she works here every day," he says. "I'll miss her." After 35 years of cheerfully assisting library patrons, Smith, 70, is retiring. She is the branch supervisor of the Talent library, one of 15 branches in the Jackson County Library System. Her last day is Aug. 31. "She's a delightful person and has been a really welcoming presence in her library," says Ronnie Budge, director of the library system. In 1995, Smith was selected as employee of the year by co-workers systemwide. "It just shows how impressed her colleagues have been throughout the years with the work she's done," says Budge. Raised in Gold Hill and living in Medford, Smith and her husband were drawn to Talent in 1962 by its pedestrian-friendly structure. Smith, who's never driven a car, began substituting at the Talent library in 1966 while raising three children. Substituting evolved into a part-time job and later a position at the Phoenix library until she was hired in 1990 as Talent's branch librarian. From checking out books, magazines, videos, tapes and CDs to answering reference questions and hosting reading programs, Smith's responsibilities vary widely. With her gentle demeanor, caring about patrons is her strength. "Talking to the people is really my favorite part, being able to help them," she says. Smith says she's seen a lot of changes over the years. She recalls that when she began, a big circulation day meant the library checked out 35 items. Now, she estimates, a busy day involves checking out 400. Another change has been the addition of other materials besides books. Years ago, she requested at staff meetings that the library purchase books on tape, because patrons had been asking for them. "We were told we'd never have them," she says, adding that now there's thousands in the system. The biggest change has been computers. Not only has the card catalog and paperwork been replaced by a computerized catalog, but staff and patrons now have Internet access. Smith remembers struggling with the transition. "I was really nervous because I had never touched a computer," says Smith. "I had to first master the mouse." Today she can assist patrons with surfing the Web, checking e-mail and finding stock quotes. In retirement, Smith plans to volunteer with some local organizations. One of those is the Talent Friends of the Library. "You meet the nicest people here, at the library," she says. "For someone who likes to read, loves books," she says, "this is a wonderful place to work." Meg Landers is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.