It was a sad day when long-time Library Assistant Ethel Heberlein (shown here at right with colleagues Terry Kuske and Joie Baldock) announced her retirement at the end of 2006.
We could understand that, after 17 years serving the library, she might want to step down and create some free time to do all the traveling that she and her husband Art love to do. Still, it was hard to say good-bye.
From a patron point of view, Ethel always had a smile for everyone who walked through the door. She had a gift for giving individuals their undivided attention (a rare quality in today's hectic world). She showed genuine interest in the stories they had to tell, the problems they were working to solve, the books they wanted to find. Watching how she treated patrons from my post behind the glass window, I always marveled at her calm patience, even during our hectic "early-release" Wednesday afternoons, when the after-school crowd piled in. Nothing seemed to fluster her. She just took things as they came.
Mostly I admired her graciousness and compassion, especially for the latchkey kids for whom the library is a safe and (we hope) pleasant alternative to an empty home. For adult patrons who were friends of hers, she appeared to take on the role often attributed to bartenders or hairdressers. She listened attentively to folks' updates about their health, loved ones, or the last book they read.
Mrs. Heberlein (nee Baumann - her father once served as Kiel mayor) was hired as a library clerk in 1992, after serving three years as a library trustee. Among her responsibilities over rthe years were maintaining our genealogy and cemetery records, processing overdues, answering reference questions, and organizing our newspaper and magazine sections. She was apparently pretty hard to say no to. Her reminder calls about overdue items usually prompted quick returns. And she was particularly adept at teaching others to use our online card catalog. Again, her compassionate, personal attention proved an asset.
All of us at the library wish her a great retirement. But she will be missed greatly.
Nanette
We could understand that, after 17 years serving the library, she might want to step down and create some free time to do all the traveling that she and her husband Art love to do. Still, it was hard to say good-bye.
From a patron point of view, Ethel always had a smile for everyone who walked through the door. She had a gift for giving individuals their undivided attention (a rare quality in today's hectic world). She showed genuine interest in the stories they had to tell, the problems they were working to solve, the books they wanted to find. Watching how she treated patrons from my post behind the glass window, I always marveled at her calm patience, even during our hectic "early-release" Wednesday afternoons, when the after-school crowd piled in. Nothing seemed to fluster her. She just took things as they came.
Mostly I admired her graciousness and compassion, especially for the latchkey kids for whom the library is a safe and (we hope) pleasant alternative to an empty home. For adult patrons who were friends of hers, she appeared to take on the role often attributed to bartenders or hairdressers. She listened attentively to folks' updates about their health, loved ones, or the last book they read.
Mrs. Heberlein (nee Baumann - her father once served as Kiel mayor) was hired as a library clerk in 1992, after serving three years as a library trustee. Among her responsibilities over rthe years were maintaining our genealogy and cemetery records, processing overdues, answering reference questions, and organizing our newspaper and magazine sections. She was apparently pretty hard to say no to. Her reminder calls about overdue items usually prompted quick returns. And she was particularly adept at teaching others to use our online card catalog. Again, her compassionate, personal attention proved an asset.
All of us at the library wish her a great retirement. But she will be missed greatly.
Nanette
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