Library branch manager closes the book on 30-year career
by Erica Peterson
Diane Dermody has seen a lot in 30 years with the Medina County District Library. She managed the Hinckley branch for 13 years and supervised its move to the Highland branch, which she helped design from the ground up.
But nothing has been quite like the past year, the Hinckley Township resident said.
Like so many of our institutions, the library had to make drastic changes to its operations to cope with COVID-19. That had a lot to do with her decision to retire as Highland branch manager on Sept. 30.
“I found it very difficult,’’ she said. “We were working remotely, and then a lot of staff were laid off” for six weeks to two months. Meetings and programming shifted from live to virtual.
“There was just so much change coming about,’’ Dermody said. “Not knowing the future, I didn’t want to keep going through that, because it was hard. And I know it was hard on my staff.”
Dermody said that at age 68, she was grateful she had the option to retire.
“I thought I would retire at 65,’’ she said. “Then I turned 65 and said no, I still love what I am doing, so I kept going. But this, I think, is going to change library services for such a length of time. So, I decided this is a good time for me to leave.”
She said the decision was easier knowing that she was leaving Highland in very capable hands.
“The staff there is incredible,” Dermody said. “People are really invested.”
She became emotional when discussing her co-workers.
“I was very blessed all through my years with a wonderful staff,” Dermody said. “Seeing people who I hired then make a career out of it, too, has been very fulfilling.”
From Hinckley to Highland
Dermody’s love of reading developed as a student at Hinckley Elementary, checking out books from the Bookmobile. At Highland High, she worked as a page at Hinckley’s then-library, in town hall.
“It was in a very small room, but it was a beginning,” she said.
In the mid-1970s, the library moved to the building in town center that now houses the Hinckley Historical Society.
Dermody came to the Hinckley library in 1991, when the branch head left and suggested Dermody apply.
Initially, she worked with only circulation clerks Elaine Vanderschrier and Beverly McMillan, who helped create the Hinckley library.
“They were absolutely fantastic and deserve a lot of credit from the community,” Dermody said.
She wore many hats. “We were open 26 hours a week. I did reference, programming, collection maintenance, all that kind of stuff,” she said.
Community support allowed the library to open for longer hours and grow its staff to about eight by the time it closed. In 2004, a bond issue passed to build more libraries in Medina County, and Granger was chosen as a better location to serve the eastern part of the county than Hinckley. The new library is the current Highland branch next to the high school.
Dermody supervised the move from Hinckley to a temporary location from 2004-2007 then to the Highland branch.
It was an exciting time, as well as a bittersweet one, she said.
The Hinckley library “was very well-used by the community and well-loved,” Dermody said. “It was sad to think we wouldn’t have a library service right in Hinckley.”
Even so, Dermody was thrilled by the possibilities the new location provided. It was significantly larger, 26,000 square feet compared to fewer than 2,000 at Hinckley.
More space meant more materials. Hinckley library’s 3,000-item collection swelled to 50,000.
Dermody considers shepherding the community through the transition as one of her more meaningful accomplishments.
“At first, the community, I think, was hoping that something could be built in Hinckley,” she said. “There were a lot of community forums, there were people upset, but I think we were able to work through the forums and talk with people about how this building in this location would serve more people and still be very accessible to the Hinckley community. We were able to bring about a really good closing.”
Building the new library was very exciting, Dermody said.
“We met with the architects; we met with the interior designers; we met with the administrative staff,” she said. “We were able to look at the plans and say, ‘Let’s move the reference desk to this area.’ … That whole creation of that, with other staff, was really exciting. I loved it.”
Highland was one of the last libraries to open after the bond issue passed, so there were years to prepare.
“There was a lot of community input into that whole building being created,” she said.
What’s next?
Since retirement, Dermody has been visiting libraries in other systems.
“I hope, especially now, people realize they can just call up the library and get so much,” she said. “It’s an amazing resource in our communities that too many people either are not aware of or don’t take advantage of.”
Retirement has been an adjustment, especially with COVID restrictions in place.
“You can’t see people like you would normally see people,’’ Dermody said. “It’s a different time to retire from the workforce and go from 100 mph to zero.’’
When it’s feasible, she looks forward to traveling and seeing her children: Robyn in Illinois, Steven in Denver and Kate in San Francisco.
She would also like to travel overseas and visit friends in Ireland, where she lived from 1975-1983.
As a lifelong learner, Dermody plans to take cooking classes. “I want to learn how to make really good bread,” she said. “And I would like to go to Italy and take a pasta class, but who knows?”
Feature image photo caption: Diane Dermody is ready to start a new chapter as she retires as Highland Branch Library manager. The Hinckley resident has seen a lot during her 30-year career, from managing the Hinckley library until it closed to helping design the Highland branch and supervising it from day one. Photo courtesy the Medina County District Library
