Hello everyone in the Michigan library world, I've completed my last day as Director of the Baldwin Public Library and begun my second career--as a retiree. I expect this second career to be every bit as rewarding as my first one in librarianship. In my 11 years as Baldwin's Director, I've managed--with the aid of many talented and hard-working Library employees and Library Board members--to reverse a serious budget deficit, re-establish good relations with the City of Birmingham, add another contract community (the City of Bloomfield Hills) to Baldwin's service area, make significant improvements to the physical building, continue and expand on Baldwin's tradition of strong collections and outstanding programming, create a unique relationship with the Michigan Architectural Foundation which has added to our collections and programming, and see through the establishment of one of the best library makerspaces in the country. Yesterday, the Library Board and the incoming Library Administration surprised me taking two steps in commemoration of my retirement: 1. Establishing a Library endowment fund in my name, and 2. Renaming the local history room as the Legacy Room, to memorialize all of the Directors of the Baldwin Public Library--past, present, and future. I am deeply honored and touched by these actions. Many people sent me lovely letters and emails in August, after I announced my upcoming retirement. I'm certainly not trying to encourage people to repeat what they've already said to me, but in case anyone would like to contact me in the future, my home email address is: koschik@comcast.net. Baldwin will remain in excellent hands under the leadership of Director Rebekah Craft and Associate Director Jaclyn Miller. I would like to thank Rebekah for all of the help and support she has given me as Associate Director over the past 5 1/2 years. Finally, attached is a recent photo showing the Baldwin Library at dusk, taken at the direction of Luckenbach Ziegelman Gardner Architects by photographer Laszlo Regos. The recently expanded Youth Room is the portion that is brightly lit. The photo really does the Library justice as the jewel of the community. All the best! Doug -- Doug Koschik Director Baldwin Public Library 300 W. Merrill St. Birmingham, MI 48009 E-mail: doug.koschik@baldwinlib.org Telephone: 248-554-4681 Fax: 248-647-6393
