THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 4, 1996 TAG: 9608020177
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: 61 lines
A few days ago Portsmouth's well-known librarian, Dean Burgess, came by and handed us the typed minutes of the July library board meetings.
``They've changed the time of the September meeting,'' he said.
It was changed, the minutes said, ``to immediately precede the retirement party for Mr. Burgess.''
He waited for me to read it. Then he added, ``It's true.''
We've been hearing around town that Burgess was going to retire, but I suppose this made it official. His last day is Sept. 30.
Burgess is what my grandmother would have called ``a fixture'' at the library. He's been there since he started as a clerk in 1963 in the reference department shortly after the library moved into its current main building on Court Street.
He and his wife took turns going to school at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and continued to work. When Dean finished his degree in 1965, he was named assistant director. His wife returned later to become the first person to head the Churchland branch.
Burgess was named director in 1974. That was the year a lot of things happened at the library. The Cradock branch moved to a location three times its previous size. The local history room was doubled in size. The mezzanine was added to the main library, doubling the adult book stacks. Friends of the Library was organized and now contributes more than $10,000 a year for programs and technology.
Over the years the library has been a leader in technology and was one of the first in the state to automate. It has a children's computer room and an automated literacy center. In 1995 dial-up public access from home computers was added and computers were placed in all library branches and offices. This year computer access to magazines was added.
Also this year, the library added public access to Internet, a program provided by WHRO Public Broadcasting.
Five years ago, the library board started Second Tuesday Forum, a noon speaker series free to the public. Some years ago the library won the second largest grant ever given by the National Endowment for the Humanities to a library to make a three-part film series on the history of race relations. Called ``Lower Tidewater in Black and White,'' the films still are used in the public schools.
Burgess was a charter member of the Tidewater Area Library Directors Council. That's the group that, at the urging of Burgess and some others, did away with all out-of-town fees at Hampton Roads libraries. The elimination of those fees made sense because so many people work one place and live another.
The jovial Portsmouth librarian edited ``The Virginia Librarian,'' a state magazine, and was president of the state library association. He also has represented the state nationally, serving as chairman of American Library Week among other things, and this year was honored by the American Library Association for work on national library legislation. He's even written a book, ``Getting It Passed: Lobbying for Libraries.''
Burgess has represented Portsmouth well. He also has led the libraries to a high point of achievement for a city of this size.
He always has something to tell me when I cross paths with him, generally talking with enthusiasm about technological advancements at the library. He always spots the good stories about books as well. And his pleasure for life is contagious. All those traits have been important to the Portsmouth library. by CNB