(Riverton, WY) Library staff, patrons, and friends of the Riverton Library gathered last Friday afternoon for a reception to honor and bid farewell to Branch Manager Shari Haskins, who is retiring after serving for over 20 years in the Fremont County Library System.
Haskins said she had mixed emotions about retiring and said that she would miss her “funny, brilliant, creative staff on a day-to-day basis. They just make me laugh and they bring so much joy to this building and the community. I’m going to miss the other people I work with…the Lander staff, the Dubois branch, Kathy and Becky…there are so many names I could give. I can’t forget the Friends of the Library…not only are they great friends to the library; they’re great volunteers and such a fantastic support. I have to mention the Fremont County Library Foundation as well…and, of course, just new material that comes in, too. It was like getting to shop every day!”
Haskins said that the library “will continue to be strong and vibrant and important in the community and the county as a whole. Nothing’s going to change…maybe a different face. The services, the value, the humor that the staff brings…all of that will be the same.”
Fremont County Library Director Anita Marple said that Haskins has done a great job in training her staff; coaching them and preparing them for her part to be done and for their part to continue. “We’re going to be hiring another Riverton Manager, we’re just waiting for the right person,” Marple said. “Library work is people-related. It’s about relationships. That will not change.”
Marple said that she and Haskins had worked very closely in the last four years, “…through the pandemic, the budget challenges, the staffing changes…we’ve been a great team,” she said. “She is leaving a legacy, and it’s all relational. For a long time, she was the teen librarian, and so very invested in the youth and the Riverton community. It’s like she’s this precious little stone that has dropped and created ripples that are having a lasting impact “
For information and updates on the many events and activities going on at the Riverton Library, call 307-856-3556 or visit their Facebook page at @RivertonBranchLibrary.