Dedicated & delightful

As a ninth grader, Judy Spicer wanted spending money of her own, so she got a job shelving books at Morrisson-Reeves Library.

“I’ve been here ever since,” Spicer said last week — 55 years later — during her retirement party in the library’s Bard Room. MRL staff, family members, patrons and friends gathered to honor Spicer’s library career. Throughout her Richmond High School days and while attending Indiana Business College, Spicer continued earning that spending money.

During 1975, the library moved to its current location at 80 N. Sixth St., and Spicer accepted a job with the library’s adult staff. The library plans to move this year to a temporary location for a lengthy renovation project.

“I’m going to retire from this building,” Spicer said. “This is where I worked.”

Spicer has considered several retirement dates, but she never followed through. For example, last August, the library joined the statewide Evergreen system of sharing materials, and Spicer decided to see how that transition went. With the renovation, however, Spicer saw a message.

“God was telling me, ‘You can’t pick a date and time, (so) I’m going to give you one,’” Spicer said.

Without her work, Spicer said she can attend family members’ events, travel and visit with friends, not to mention take care of things around the house. 

During her celebration, Spicer wore a “retired” tiara with a purple “I’m retired” sash across her orange outfit. Dozens of well-wishers gave her hugs and wished her well in retirement.

“Judy is a highly regarded member of our team, bringing a treasured, valuable voice and presence to the library throughout her many years of dedicated service,” said Dena Little, the library’s director. “Her knowledge, experience and commitment to our patrons have been invaluable. We are incredibly grateful for her contributions and will deeply miss her.”

Little is the fourth director for whom Spicer has worked. Paris Pegg preceded Little, remembering a reception to honor Spicer’s 50th year with MRL and appreciating the experience of working with Spicer.

“I consider myself extremely fortunate to have worked with Judy, because in my position we did not work directly together, but she is by far the most dedicated, loyal and committed employee that I have ever seen in my life,” Pegg said. “She was just so thorough and dedicated. She did her job, she did it well and she never complained. She was delightful.”

Spicer retired as an acquisition specialist who ordered the library’s materials, then received and opened deliveries.

“We always say it’s like Christmas, because I have all these boxes to open,” Spicer said.

For many years, though, she was a public face for the library. Spicer worked in reception, greeting patrons and answering calls, and in the children’s department.

If someone calls her “Miss Judy,” Spicer knows she shared stories with that person as a child. Among the photos displayed for her reception, one showed Spicer in 1980 telling a flannel board story to a group of children gathered around her, and another showed her reading a children’s book. She enjoyed sharing stories with children through the library’s regular programs, the bookmobile, Pediatric Center visits and the library branch in Townsend Community Center.

“I always had fun working with kids,” Spicer said.

Spicer experienced different tasks and the evolution of the library with technology. Gone are card catalogs, replaced by computer searches. And the library offers services Spicer would never have imagined decades ago, such as the sharing library that checks out kitchen utensils and other items.

“That’s what’s really kept me here is the variety,” Spicer said.