What's it like as a Manistee librarian retiring after nearly two decades?
MANISTEE  Carol Shively, a fixture at the Manistee County Library, will begin her retirement after nearly two decades as a reference librarian. The patrons of this community have been wonderful, Shively said. I have enjoyed meeting, greeting and helping each and every one who has walked through the doors (and) I will greatly miss providing this service.  Shively moved to the Manistee area in 1998, and began her career at the library as a circulation clerk in July 2001. I have learned so much over the years from other staff members, and from information available at the library and online, Shively said. I didn't know that working at the library was something that I wanted to do, but I applied for the job and I have been here ever since.  For Shively, one of the best parts of her job came from helping library patrons access changing technology. The joy of being able to read a book on a device, and not have to worry about carrying a ton of books on a plane is priceless, she said. June 28 was Schivelys last day. Her absence is likely to be felt by library patrons as well as staff, according to Executive Director Julie Cirone. Carol has been in a public-facing position almost her entire time here, so everyone knows her, Cirone said. She has such a nice personality that people are drawn to her. So I feel like the public will really miss her, and we will as well, because shes really great to work with.  One of Shivelys proudest actions at the library came from organizing its memory care kit program. Debra Greenacre had an idea to create memory care kits for our community. I took that idea and put 10 kits together that may improve cognitive development, increase memory skills and build on social skills, she said. The kits can help make a connection to family members who are experiencing difficulties with aging and memory loss, Shively had said. Related: Partnership leads to new programs for library patrons with memory loss  Shively also enjoyed putting together programs and events at the library, including one which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. We had a huge iceberg, a violin player and we turned the meeting room into the Cafe Parisien and served biscuits and tea, she said. The program was very well received by the community, as over 100 people showed up for the event.  Cirone pointed to a program launched by Shively which helped teach children the fundamentals of sewing. Carol loves children and shes done a lot of really amazing programs for them, she said. She would teach the kids, start to finish how to use the sewing machine, how to make projects, and then shed do progressively more difficult projects.  Thats just one of many that she started.  Shively described her time at the library as a blessing but said she was looking forward to the next chapter in her life. There is so much I want to do, while I am still young enough to do it, she said. I plan on visiting my children and grandchildren, who live out of state. I am looking forward to spending a lot of time with them without feeling the need to rush back to work.  Shively also plans to travel with places like Hawaii, Yellowstone National Park and Mt. Rushmore on her bucket list. Related: Carol Shively: Spends free time with grandchildren