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Burns honored for 45 years of library service
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| By: ADAM NORTHAM, DAILY LEADER Staff Writer |
October 14, 2009 |
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Photo By ADAM NORTHAM
Longtime Lincoln County Public Library trustee Dr. Russell Burns (left) embraces Brookhaven’s Bonnie Cole Tuesday at a reception honoring the doctor’s retirement after 45 years of service to the library.
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In a hail of praise, handshakes and remembrance, he was gone.
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Dr. Russell Burns, a 45-year trustee of the Lincoln County Public Library, finally celebrated his retirement from the library board Tuesday one year after he stepped back from the local institution he helped build. Friends, family and associates he tutored along the way joined the retired dentist and still-serving chairman of the Mississippi Library Commission to celebrate and thank him for his work with the library, which has grown from two small rooms to an information nerve center containing around 90,000 volumes.
"I've had a great run and I've enjoyed ever minute of it," Burns said at his reception. "It's a great institution, and we've come a long way."
When Burns was appointed to the board of trustees in 1963, the library was housed in two small rooms in the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce, which then served as city hall.
The Legislature began letting bonds for library construction, and Burns and his fellow trustees steered the library in that direction. County supervisors and city aldermen added to the pot.
Burns next helped secure a chunk of land from Whitworth College on Jackson Street, the library's location today. When the new building opened the library came of age, and usage increased sharply. The trustees undertook building programs to expand the building over the years, and the last, $1 million addition was added on the building's west side in October 2002.
"We are outstanding with our facilities and what we offer compared to other rural communities of similar size," Burns said. "And through the library loan program, we can get you any book you want. You want something in a library in Dublin, Ireland? You can get it."
Burns also pointed out that more than books may be found in the library. The building also offers videos, references and other published resources, educational programs for children and adults, local history, genealogical services and computer use.
"Sit at the library and see what goes on," he recommended. "People think it's just books, checking in and checking out. Yes, books are the focal point, but there's so much more."
The doctor was especially proud of the library's computers, which are updated and replaced periodically. The computer bank started small, was expanded and refreshed in 2005 when city leaders and the state's federal representation worked together to bring more than 20 new machines into the building for public use. Further expansion occurred in 2007 when all three branches of the Lincoln-Lawrence-Franklin Regional Library system were awarded grants through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Burns said the computers multiply the library's services.
"Some people may play games, but most are actively seeking information - they're researching, they're job-hunting," he said. "Following (Hurricane) Katrina, when we were inundated with refugees, the computers were the only link they had to family and friends and relief agencies."
Burns said he was leaving the library in good hands and is ready to move on. When asked what he planned to do with his new-found free time, he said, "Just what I've been doing since I retired from dentistry - absolutely nothing!"
He plans to stay involved with the library and make himself available to its leaders, however.
"You never lose interest," Burns said. "I have been in the library with my nose stuck in a book since the fourth-grade. That began a love of books of reading, and I didn't realize it was a lifetime marriage when I started out (as a trustee), but that's what it became. It's not choosing books, it's learning how libraries work, what they offer and learning how to give the people what they want."
Sharman Smith, director of the Mississippi Library Commission, began her service as an assistant in the Lincoln County Public Library. While speaking at Burns' celebration Monday, she recalled a conversation between master and pupil that she said served her well during her career.
"When I was a new director, Dr. Burns came to me and said, 'I don't want to know and you don't have to ask permission to change a light bulb, but if you change the entire lighting system, I'd like to know,'" she recalled. "It's what I've adopted as my management style. That balance as served me well while working with boards."
Library director Henry Ledet said his institution's trustees were a solid group, but he would still call upon Burns from time to time if he needs advice.
"He's a wise man," Ledet said. "I learned a lot from him."
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©The Daily Leader 2009
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modena r. dyess |
Oct, 14 2009 |
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My late husband and I lived in Brookhaven from 1967 thru Dec., 1976. Dr. Burns was our dentist throughout this time. In fact, today, I asked a former Brookhavenite about Dr. Burns and if he was still living. Great to read this article. My best wishes in retirement.
Modena R. Dyess, widow of the late
Lonnie S. Dyess, Jr.
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