Caledon’s top librarian retiring at the end of this week

January 28, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea
Bill Manson has been keeping a countdown to tomorrow (Friday).
That’s the day that Manson, 69, retires from his position as Chief Executive Officer of Caledon Public Library.
Manson has been in charge of the Caledon Library operation since 2003. He came here after stints in Cornwall and Massachusetts, as well as selling automated library systems. He was also involved in a library training program that started at the University of Calgary.
“I’m one of those people who have a many-locales career,” he said.
Manson currently lives in Guelph with his wife Marcia Kennedy, who is also a librarian in Burlington.
He said when there are two librarians who are married to each other, “the woman is always the better librarian.”
He added his wife can do magic finding things “that leaves me in the dust.”
He also said she’s due to retire at the end of February.
Born in Southern California, Manson came to Canada in the summer of 1968. Like many young American men at the time, he crossed the border for a very simple reason. “I was dodging the draft.”
He added that all took place during that year’s Democratic Convention in Chicago. “I always refer to it as the Chicago police riots,” he said.
Manson said he became a librarian “for all the wrong reasons.”
He had hopes of being a poet, so he wanted to work at a place where he would be able to write. He had also been told that being a librarian was easy work because so many women were in the field. He learned that wasn’t the case, adding some of the best managers he’s encountered in libraries over the years were women.
“At 21, it looked like an easy path,” he recalled.
“I’ve had a lot of fun doing it,” he added.
For a time, Manson said he had thoughts of being a library cataloguer. “I’d have been bored to death,” he remarked.
Manson observed that public libraries are a community agency. “That’s what they do best,” he commented. “There aren’t many places where you’ve got an open, welcoming public space.”
“It’s a great place for kids,” he added. “It’s a great place for old people. It’s a great place for students. It’s a great place for students. It’s a great place for people trying to learn stuff.”
He said advances in technology have reached the stage where people can run businesses out of the library, “which is kind of cool.”
There have been changes in the way libraries operate over the years, but Manson said a lot of them involve techniques used, rather than the core operation.
“We’re still doing the things we’ve always done,” he commented. “We’ve just found a different way to do it.”
He said libraries have always been good at getting young people involved in reading and getting them ready for school. He also observed there are programs at the various branches that attract participants who attend just to come together with others.
There are some things about retirement that Manson said he’s looking forward to, including not having to set the alarm clock. He added he and his wife plan to move, possibly to the Leamington or Kingsville area.
He also said there will have to be adjustments. Manson said he’s been working since he was 15, so not having a job is going to feel a little strange.
“The idea of not having a job and people paying me feels really weird,” he said. “I’m sure I’m, going to find something to do. I really don’t have a clue what it’s going to be.”