After 34 years of service in the Blue Ridge Regional Library system and 32 years at the Patrick County Library, Garry Clifton retired at the end of May.
Clifton served as the bookmobile driver and librarian for 20 years and as the Patrick County branch manager for 12 years.
Throughout his tenure, Clifton feels he achieved all his major goals, including the creation of the Storytime Castle for youngsters and the purchase of a new bookmobile.
“It’s the right time. It’s great to think about being able to do things while you can do it—get up and get down,” he said.
Noting that he and his wife both retired last month, Clifton said they are currently serving as caregivers to their elderly dog.
“When he passes, we have a little chihuahua that’s going like, ‘Okay, what’s going on? I need somebody.’ So, it’s going to be a transitional period, but once everything smooths over, I imagine we will do a few things,” he said.
Clifton also plans to resume doing artwork and enjoy literature from the other side—by writing it.
“I don’t think I’ll be Martin Clark level, but I do enjoy that,” he said.
During his retirement, Clifton said he will miss the sense of community the library provides the most.
“It’s seeing everybody on a regular schedule and catching up with people. That’s kind of how it was on the bookmobile. The bookmobile was like a little community center, and the library’s kind of like that too. Of course, I’ll still be coming in for the books, and I’ll probably have to restrain myself from answering questions when I come walking through,” he said.
Clifton said he is pleased to leave the library in the hands of the current staff, as he believes staff members are what make a library special.
“I mean, you can have a small library and excellent staff, and it’s better than a giant library with bad staff, right? So, we’ve got great staff to carry on, and they have the right attitude—not just public service but community. Any one of these people would do anything for a patron, and I couldn’t be happier with that,” he said.
He added the library is a little jewel of Patrick County.
“We see people when they first come into the county. They buy their house, they find out where this is, where that is, and then they find out where the library is. So, they come in and they go, ‘Wow, what a library for a little town,’ and they are impressed,” he said.
In a May Facebook post, Clifton said he has always considered himself the custodian of the library, ensuring it continues to be what the community needs.
“The library is a living, breathing thing. It’s really quite magical. The library grows and transforms into what the community needs. To be in charge of something that provides services to everyone from the newborn to the senior citizen is almost overwhelming at times. If we’re doing it correctly, the library has something to offer everyone,” he said in the post.
Since Clifton is set to retire at the end of June, Blue Ridge Regional Library Director Rick Ward said he guesses Clifton’s retirement “is okay.”
“We’re the same age, and we’ve both been here a long time. He’s been great. I mean, he blew my doors off when he took over because he took over from me. But he came in and did a lot of things that I hadn’t really thought of doing, so I give him all the credit. I just have to pat myself on the back for making a good choice,” he said.
While he believes the library system is losing a good librarian with Clifton’s retirement, Ward said he believes Somer Luna-Ojodeagua will do well in her new role as branch manager.
