Logan County Libraries Director Judy Goodrich happened to mention to members of her staff Wednesday during an impromptu meeting that she didn’t need a big celebration to mark her 51st anniversary of service to the library system.
Little did she know that outside the meeting room, board of trustees members and other staff were busily setting up for a party and heartfelt tribute to honor her more than five decades of service, including 36 years as director, following her early beginnings as a page at the library as a 16-year-old Bellefontaine High School student.
After being ushered into the common area of the Knowlton Library by Board of Trustees President Sharon Halter, Mrs. Goodrich was shocked to see many community members, local officials and members of her family, including her daughter who had traveled from Kentucky for the occasion, gathered to celebrate a full-fledged surprise party.
“I’m really honored,” she said through a few tears. “My staff, they really help make me look good over all of these years.”
“You’ve always been on top of all things library,” Bellefontaine Mayor Ben Stahler said to the longtime director in a proclamation naming Oct. 13, 2021 as Judy Goodrich Day for the City of Bellefontaine. “You truly work from the heart. Thanks for leading the community in such a positive way.”
To mark the occasion, the library board presented Mrs. Goodrich with another surprise, with the dedication of the library’s community room as the Judith Goodrich Community Room, complete with a new sign.
Through the years, Ms. Halter said Mrs. Goodrich has “shown resilience in many situations, not even just going from print to digital,” eliciting a few chuckles.
The party honoree remarked on one such difficulty, that began as an unusual evening experienced during January 2014, following polar vortex weather experienced in the area.
“There are so many memories and some late nights, and even an overnighter when a pipe burst a few years ago. We literally had a waterfall in our local history room,” she said.
Around 10:35 p.m. that evening, a supply line for the Knowlton Library’s fire suppression system at 220 N. Main St. broke, spewing water into the computer lab and local history room. The dedicated director happened to be at the library at that time, catching up on work that had piled up while she was on vacation.
“It would’ve been a lot worse if no one was there,” Mrs. Goodrich said in an Examiner article about the incident. “The Bellefontaine Fire Department responded really quick and shut down the water. Then we called in a company to soak up most of the water.”
Many major milestones for the library system also have been marked during Mrs. Goodrich’s tenure, including moving into the current building from the former Carnegie Building during 1994.
Technology has made monumental strides during the last several decades as well, including the move of the library card catalog in 1998 to an online computerized database (SIRSI) of the library’s collection. The following year, the library’s website at www.loganco.lib.oh.us was initiated, allowing patrons to access the online catalog from the convenience of their home computer through the Internet.
Library Board of Trustees member Steve Fansler read congratulatory letters to Mrs. Goodrich from a host of local and state officials, including Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Senate members written by Senator Matt Huffman, State Librarian of Ohio Wendy Knapp, and Logan County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ben Vollrath. Logan County Commissioner Joe Antram also offered a tribute on behalf of the county as well.
“Rarely do you find someone as dedicated to the cause as Judy Goodrich,” Vollrath said in his letter. “She has brought an access to reading and technology to our entire community.”
Board Vice President Bob Barnwell credited much of the library’s success’ to Mrs. Goodrich’s management style — both in finances and in personnel.
“We were able to build this library with no mortgage and also establish the library’s foundation,” he said. “We’re unique in that we’ve never had to go to the public for money.
“Many libraries around the state as well are just single libraries, but we’re able to maintain all of our branch libraries as well.”
Mrs. Goodrich received special gifts from attendees, including a quilt from the board of trustees, in a project spearheaded by Secretary Joyce Core, with assistance from Stacy Sandy in providing former library T-shirts for the quilt.
Mrs. Core said she imagined Mrs. Goodrich cozied up with her quilt while reading a favorite book in her upcoming retirement years.
“I always want to have a good book in my hands,” Mrs. Goodrich said. “With the many changes in the world, hopefully, we’ll never get away from that.”