Cape Girardeau librarian set to retire in May after 22 years

After more than two decades of shaping young minds by providing books, storytimes and showing her love through different reading programs, Sharon Anderson will retire from Cape Girardeau Public Library in May.

Anderson has worked as the Youth Services coordinator for 22 years.

"I'll miss the connections with kids and talking books," Anderson said. "I love, love, love getting to share books with readers. And see it, kiddos' faces light up the first time they find the book that makes them a reader."

Anderson said that when she was growing up, the library was always a sanctuary for her, calling herself a "library kid". She said her father even had to put a bigger basket on her bike so she could carry home all her books.

After becoming widowed, Anderson said she was looking for a place to work with books in a library. She then applied for the Youth Services coordinator position, and now, two decades later, she has helped readers and has made connections with families.

As the Youth Services coordinator, Anderson was able to obtain grants to help different programs flourish — programs such as "Harry Potter" nights, "Star Wars" fans coming in, and one of her personal favorites, a stuffed animal sleepover.

"There's a poet — T.S. Eliot — who in 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", he says he's measured his life in coffee spoons. And I joke that I've measured my life in summer reading programs," Anderson said. "Because while the program itself runs from just June and July, once you start writing the grants, you are finishing that up and starting the grant for the next program. So there's never a month you're not thinking about the next summer reading program."

Renee Jackson began working with Anderson around 14 years ago.

The way Anderson has a "superpower" of being able to remember summaries of books and tell them to families looking for reading material is something that will be missed at the library, Jackson said.

"She really, truly reads them, and so she has knowledge of so many books that ... I know families have come in just relying on her to help get their kids loving books. So, yeah, that's going to be greatly missed," Jackson said.

Anderson said there are three books she considers her favorites to recommend when someone is looking for something to read:

A picture book called "Whale Talk" by Chris Crutcher, a children's book named "Last Stop on Market Street" by Matt de la Peña and a juvenile novel by Louise Erdrich named "The Birchbark House".

"I always look for whose stories are left out. And that struck me as being so important in children's literature," Anderson said. "So I think the best libraries make room on the shelves for everyone's stories."

Anderson said her job has been fun for the last 22 years and that it is hard to leave, but she still plans to volunteer and bring in her grandchildren.

To celebrate Anderson's decadeslong career, Cape Girardeau Public Library will host a retirement party open to everyone from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, in the Hirsch Community Rooms at the library, 711 Clark Ave.