By: Jason Scheer
The Dewey Decimal System dominated, with computer-based catalogues nowhere in sight. The library-s interior design was a hodgepodge of once-trendy -70s and -80s decor. What is now the children-s room was no place for kids at all, unless they were big fans of finance. The room was built in part of the former European American Bank building.
But perhaps the biggest difference between that era and this one is that there was no Barbara Hopkins.
Hopkins, the Baldwin Herald-s 2004 Person of the Year, served as the director of the Baldwin Public Library for nearly 20 years. She recently announced her retirement, but the chapters she has written at the library will not soon be forgotten.
Kevin Kamen, president of the library-s board of trustees, remembers when he first met Hopkins. At the time he was a member of the board that was charged with hiring a new director. The board knew it wanted to expand the library, and was determined to find a leader with vision.
Kamen said they found that leader in Hopkins. She was hired because she brought to the table a concrete foundation that clearly expressed to the board that she was able to complete the expansion project and had the energy needed to take the library to the next level, he said.
And take it to the next level Hopkins did. The adjacent bank was bought and transformed into a place where Baldwin kids could venture into the world of literature. Since it opened, the children-s wing has become home to a variety of programs, including reading groups, contests and concerts.
Doris Gillott, another library veteran, was happy to serve as director of children-s services from 1976 to 2001. Gillott said that while children-s programs are often neglected by library directors, Hopkins- approach was different and welcome. She credits Hopkins with putting a premium on children, the future readers and the future of the community.
It-s usually the adult stuff that people see as the most important and [that] gets the most attention, but with [Hopkins], she was always very supportive of what we did in the children-s room, Gillott said. Not only supportive, but appreciative. I never had the feeling that we were anything less than very important to her.
Kamen said that Hopkins- affability helped make her a good leader. She cared very much about her staff, and bent over backwards to support them when she felt that they were right, he said.
Hopkins not only made herself accessible to her staff, but worked to make the library accessible to the community. Kamen said that she made the library a place people wanted to go as well she made it relevant. A library is no longer a reservoir just for books, said Kamen. It-s become a cultural and community center. Barbara did an awful lot to make the Baldwin community aware that the library was a cultural center for all to enjoy.
Throughout her nearly two decades of service, Hopkins strengthened the relationship between the library and the community, as well as her personal relationships with Baldwin organizations. She has worked closely with the Woman-s Advance Club, the Baldwin Historical Society and the Chamber of Commerce.
Doris Duffy, chamber president and last year-s Herald Person of the Year, has worked closely with Hopkins on a variety of projects. Duffy described Hopkins as an asset to the Baldwin community. She is a wonderful person, and such a competent administrator, Duffy said. I kid around with others, saying that she-s such a diplomat, we might lose her to the United Nations. She has a gentle way with people.
Hopkins- time at the helm will end much the way it began. The library is once again in transition. This time, instead of additional space for a children-s wing, the facility now needs more room to accommodate the needs of the future e-books, audio books, DVDs and the Internet.
To meet the demands of the information explosion, the library undertook a major expansion project, called Project 2000, named for the year it was launched. The work will be completed early next year, when a new wing is scheduled to open. The new floor plan boasts an additional 18,000 square feet, nearly doubling the library-s present space of 23,000 square feet, with an additional 5,000 square feet set aside to accommodate future expansion.
The new wing will feature an enlarged children-s area, complete with a homework room. A new computer lab will enable the library to offer computer instruction, and there will also be a room devoted to the history of Baldwin.
Duffy served on the library-s expansion committee, and worked closely with Hopkins in putting the project together. She said that Hopkins was instrumental in getting the project off the ground and ensuring that the next 18 years will be as successful as the past 18. If it hadn-t been for her guidance, the restoration and expansion project would not have gone as smoothly as it did, Duffy said.
Fittingly, Hopkins said that her retirement will be filled with books. She plans on leading periodic book discussions and having more time to read for pleasure.
A storybook ending for Baldwin's Person of the Year.
