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April 3, 2009

A Chapter's End: Southland Branch closes its doors as part of library budget reduction program

By Sue Loughlin

TERRE HAUTE — For 32 years, Suzanne Van Reed has been the manager of the Vigo County Public Library Southland branch.

But her library career goes back to 1962, when she started working at the South branch as a shelver. At that time, the branch was across Seventh Street.

Technology consisted of a telephone, and library books were checked out and stamped by hand.

She even remembers when library officials wondered if the public would accept paperbacks; at the time, the library had only hardback books.

The paperbacks were kept by the librarian’s office. “The librarian wanted to hear what people would have to say about having paperbacks in the branch,” Van Reed said. “I think at that time, paperbacks were considered a lower level of reading.”

On Friday, Van Reed worked her last day at the Southland branch as it closed its doors for good as part of a Vigo County Public Library budget-reduction program. Southland is the third and final branch to close this year.

The West Terre Haute facility is the only branch that will remain open, although it will undergo some changes.

“It makes me sad to be closing because I realize there are some people I’m probably never going to see again,” Van Reed, 62, said Friday morning. “Honestly, I can’t think about that too long because it will make me tear up.”

She said she will miss the people very much, and she has enjoyed her time at the Southland branch. “I feel very blessed,” she said, tears welling in her eyes.

“I feel like so many people I’ve met in the job have made me a better person by having known them and by some of the challenges they’ve posed for me,” she said.

Van Reed isn’t retiring. She will work at the main library downtown as a development librarian. She’ll be involved in fund raising and she’ll develop a program for volunteers. She’ll also look into some of the fines and fees suggested by citizens earlier this year during public meetings that dealt with the library’s budget challenges.

During her library career, Van Reed also worked at the former main library when it was on North Seventh Street. She’s been a bookmobile librarian and she was the South assistant branch manager for awhile.

She’s taken two short hiatuses, including a five-month leave in 1976 after her son was born, but most of the 47 years have been in service to the Vigo County Public Library.

When the decision was made to close three branches, “It shocked me. I didn’t really believe it would happen. I never thought of a library as being one of those businesses that were in danger of closing. It never occurred to me,” Van Reed said.

Now, she’s concerned about some of the older Southland patrons who have difficulty walking distances.

“It’s my understanding we’re going to be implementing an enlarged outreach service, so hopefully we can help them in that manner,” she said.

Use of the Southland branch has decreased in recent weeks, she said. Some people may have been under the impression it already had closed.

One of the patrons visiting Friday was Barbara Vogel, who’s been going regularly for about 25 years. “I know I speak for many people when I say we will miss Southland,” Vogel said. “It’s almost like a family affair. They are so accommodating.”

She described the closings as a “sad consequence” of property tax restructuring.

Another regular, 58-year-old Mack Shaver, has gone to the branch two or three times a week, typically to use the high-speed Internet.

His computer at home is too slow. “I always seem to get all the worms or anything out there,” he said.

At Southland, he checks his e-mail, among other things.

“One of the reasons why we have taxes is to have facilities like this,” he said. It will be inconvenient for him to drive to the main library, and he anticipates he won’t go as often.

On Southland’s last day, patron JoEllen Ornduff checked out some materials. She lives in northwest Vigo County and works at Ivy Tech Community College, so it’s been convenient for her to use the Southland branch during lunch breaks. She worked there for a short period about three years ago.

She also used to work at the library’s Plaza North branch, which also has closed.

“I’m very disappointed,” said Ornduff, 46. “Our libraries are needed now more than ever.”

People have less money for entertainment and turn to the library for its free services and materials, she said.

At the checkout counter, some catalogue cards had a farewell message written on the opposite side.

“Thanks for the memories. South Branch Library. January 1, 1962-April 3, 2009.”

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.

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