17 staffers to retire from Toledo-Lucas County Public Library
State-budget woes, waning taxes hurt funding
By BRIDGET THARP, BLADE STAFF WRITER
When Mike Lora retires from the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library next month, the curator for the rare books collection will miss more than the thrill he gets holding the same texts once touched by historical figures or literary greats like Lord Byron. He’ll miss the co-workers with whom he’s spent his 19-year library career. “I’m going to miss the staff. They’re second to none,” he said. “It really is like a family, but not a dysfunctional one.”
Mr. Lora is one of 17 longtime library employees who will accept early retirement incentives. The library offered those with 30 years’ experience the ability to claim all of their sick leave – rather than the half usually given upon retirement. The departures mark an unprecedented time in the library’s 171-year history as state budget cuts and waning property tax revenues force the library to tighten its belt. In order to cope with budget woes that threatened a $7.4 million budget shortfall, the library shaved at least $3.1 million from its personnel budget for 2010 by reducing hours for union employees and the offering retirement incentives.
Mr. Lora’s library work marks his second career. He returned to school for a master’s degree in library science at Kent State University later in life, after years as an entrepreneur. He previously owned and operated a smoke shop at Franklin Park Mall, before joining the library ranks in 1990.
Since then, he has helped the library capture rare documents and texts for their local history and rare book room. He helped establish the department, and was the first curator of the rare collection. He said he is proud to have helped create the climate controlled room to house and preserve the collection.
He is also pleased to have overseen a collection that provided researchers a gateway into their family history – as many visitors to the local history and rare books collection were digging into old Blade obituaries and newspaper clippings to track their family tree. Mr. Lora said he looks forward to a future in which such data is available universally online.
And then, there are the books. “I’ll miss walking into the vault and touching a book or smelling a book,” Mr. Lora said. “When you see how they were produced 50 or 100 years ago, you’re struck by the quality of the production. The other thing, there’s something tangible about holding a book that you know for example was at one time held by George Gordon, the Lord Byron. It takes your breath away.”
Also retiring will be Main library manager, Dorcel Dowdell. She joined the staff 29 years ago, and has risen to her position from professional assistant, to manager of Mott Branch, to supervisor of the Art Tatum African American Resource Center. She said she’s most proud of supervising the implementation of the library information line, which seeks to answer phone queries in less than five minutes. A Cleveland native, she said she became hooked on libraries as a page in high school at a Cleveland branch. Ms. Dowdell will pursue a second career in ministry upon retirement, she said. She said she’s enjoyed her time with the library, where “no day is ever the same and there’s always some activity going on.” Libraries are “probably one of the only institutions that can house all of man’s knowledge,” she said. “The library is the one institution that can offer the knowledge and material free of charge.”
Those who chose to retire include:
Rita Bates, 34 years, supervisor of circulation services at Main Library.
Debra Bondelier, 31 years, clerk. John Cleveland, 31 years, manager of Sylvania Branch Library.
Timothy Desmond, 38 years, librarian for Director’s Office.
Melinda Dewitt, 31 years, serials clerk.
Dorcel Dowdell, 29 years, manager of Main Library.
Linda Greer, 38 years, circulation supervisor at Toledo Heights Branch.
Sharon Helfers, 30 years, circulation clerk.
George Kline, 28 years, Business Technology Department.
Colleen Lehmann, 43 years, manager of Holland Branch Library.
Mary Leugers, 37 years, librarian at Sylvania Branch Library.
Barbara Lough, 37 years, manager of Washington Branch Library.
Joseph Ludwig, 28 years, manager of the Maumee Branch Library.
Kathleen Lundberg, 37 years, manager of Heatherdowns Branch Library.
Monica Sandiford, 32 years, supervisor of circulation services.
Vickie Syph, 34 years, clerk.
