Retiring Cortez librarian recalls 30 years of change

Retiring Cortez librarian recalls 30 years of change

Jan. 19, 2002

LYNN ROBERTSON (standing) trains her replacement, Mary Vozar, at the Cortez Library Tuesday. After more than 30 years of working in libraries, Robertson is retiring from the field.

By Katharhynn Heidelberg
Journal Staff Writer

A lot has changed in librarianship during the past 30 years, but to Lynn Robertson, one thing remains the same: community service.

"A public library needs to be part of its community," Robertson, who is retiring as children’s librarian at Cortez Public Library, said Tuesday. "I wish everyone would walk in the door — if you don’t read, there’s other things to do here. It’s a safe place."

Robertson, who has worked at the library since 1992, officially retired Thursday — roughly 10 years after she had planned to. "I moved here to retire," she said, but then she lucked into a position at the library.

She brought with her a wealth of experience that she had accumulated since 1971, in Douglas County. That year, the former school teacher found herself in Louviers, Colo., then a small town — with a closed library.

Informed by county-seat authorities in Castle Rock that there were no volunteers to run the Louviers library, Robertson took charge, operating the facility and building up its collection. "I ran the library until they felt guilty and started to pay me," she joked.

After Louviers came the big time — Robertson became the director of the Castle Rock library, which rapidly progressed to district-library status. Part of her many duties there included attending conferences and state meetings, and that’s where she met Maryellen Brubaker, (now retired) Cortez Library director, and Carol Arnold of the Dolores Library.

"One thing led to another," she said, and when the Robertsons’ youngest daughter began attending Fort Lewis College, they dropped by to check out the area. Robinson said she never expected to fall in love with Cortez.

"My husband had just retired. I told him, ‘I want to move here’."

She and her husband, Jay, thought it over, sold their home in Louviers, and moved to Cortez, partly because of the exploding growth in Douglas County. "We could just see the handwriting on the wall," Robertson said.

Still, the decision did not come easily. "It was me that had to give up the job. I had just built a beautiful new library (Castle Rock)... and for the first time, there was money" to run it with, Robertson said.

But coincidentally, the Cortez library had just lost a staff member when she arrived, and she was offered a part-time position. She wasn’t just pleased — she was "flabbergasted."

Robertson said she enjoyed all aspects of her job, but summer reading programs have a special place in her heart. "One of my favorite parts of the job are the programs for the kids. In Louviers, the only way to get adults in was to attract the kids... If we could get every kid (in Cortez) in the door, that’d be great!"

Variety has been the spice of Robertson’s career. "I like the variety — I like talking to that retired person interested in genealogy and I like to play finger puppets with 2-year-olds. I’m not just dealing with one age group."

In addition to regular library duties, Robertson teaches computer classes in cooperation with Pueblo Community College’s Tele-Technology Center. She will continue doing so in her retirement.

As might be expected, Robertson said, the Cortez Library has changed a lot, going from typewritten card catalogues to the Internet in less than a decade.

"When I started (in Douglas County), Colorado had a good system, but automation has been the biggest help. Colorado is one of the leaders in the development of a statewide system," she said, adding that she was pleased to see Cortez was automated when she arrived.

Today, library patrons can access a variety of databases at just the click of a button, and knowing what other libraries have in their collections is now a simple matter. It wasn’t always that way.

When Robertson began her library career, she could share books only within Douglas County and get Inter Library Loan (ILL) books from Denver Public. However, there was no reliable way of knowing what the other libraries had.

They could call Denver Public, she explained, and ask what they had available. "It could take a few months." Currently, ILL is accomplished through a state-supplemented courier service that takes only a few days.

Another innovation for which Robinson has high praise is the Colorado Library Card. The card allows holders to borrow a book from any library in the state and return it at their hometown library. "It’s a little-known service," she said. "Cooperation between libraries in Colorado and the automation" facilitates getting information to the public.

Though technological challenges have largely been overcome, other obstacles face the Cortez library. The library is chronically underfunded, Robertson said, although she concedes, "If the city doesn’t have the money, it doesn’t have the money." She suggests the possibility of forming a library district as a solution.

"We serve Rico, Dove Creek, Egnar, Aneth, the reservation and all the people in this county," Robertson said. "People don’t realize how little they pay for library services — you couldn’t buy one hardback book with what you pay for the library."

Low funds have resulted in a collection that does not compare to other libraries the size of Cortez, and in a severe staffing shortage, Robertson said. Donations, book sales and especially volunteers help mitigate the problems, "but a library shouldn’t have to run on volunteers."

However, Robertson has experienced more highs than lows during her career.

"I think people in libraries want to help people. Some of my greatest pleasures have been finding that obscure thing for somebody. I really like this job. If I didn’t want to retire, I wouldn’t quit."