It’s the little things – that’s what Parkes Shire Library’s Cultural, Education and Library Services Manager Shellie Buckle said she’s going to miss the most.
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“Listening to the storytime and rhyme time children singing from my office, listening to Sally and Debbie talk to themselves as they work at their desks, watching the kids pat the ‘library dog’ as they come and go,” she said.
“[Calling] appreciative customers to let them know their reservation has arrived, hanging art created by local artists, being amazed by the Waste to Art entries as they arrive every year, helping a reader find a new author, booksellers turning up with boxes and boxes of books, and of course selecting talking books for Mr Mayor’s listening pleasure.”
On Friday, December 21, after 13 years, Shellie’s chapter at the library will come to an end and she’ll begin a “whole new book” as she embarks on a big move to far north Queensland in January.
She’ll be here to enjoy her last Parkes Elvis Festival, this time purely as a civilian.
Shellie – who was born and grew up in Parkes – began her career at the Macquarie Regional Library in Dubbo in 1995 after she began studying a Library and Information Science degree through a distance education university.
She left in 1999 to work as a cataloguer, who looks after everything on the library’s system, at Ryde Library, before becoming Ryde City Council’s web coordinator.
Her first major role was when she became library manager in Parkes in January 2006 and she returned home with husband Craig Buckle.
“Craig and I arrived in Parkes in time for Elvis in 2006, we only came for five years with plans to move around Australia experiencing different places,” she said.
“Now it is 13 years on, we are skipping northern NSW and most of Queensland and moving to Mareeba in Far North Queensland.
“The library and grants team have been a constant source of inspiration and I will miss them.”
Shellie said she was really excited the opportunity to move back home in 2006 came up, but admitted it was daunting.
“I’d supervised a team before but nothing like this and I was the new and youngest kid on the block, that was challenging,” she said.
But since then she and her team have enjoyed some great successes.
These include the only two 24 hour libraries in Australia at Trundle and Tullamore, a NSW Local Government Award for community services, the Bess Thomas National Award for services for young people and this year securing $2.2 million for the library expansion.
In 2012 Shellie’s role changed to Manager Cultural, Education and Library Services and she took on extra responsibilities, like supporting the University Centre – a partnership between Charles Sturt University and TAFE – and increasing the cultural services within the library.
And as recently as November 29, Shellie was awarded life membership to NSW Public Libraries Association, announced at the annual Public Libraries Conference.
Among her most favourite moments is watching the children of the library grow, begin and finish school, move away to university and return to tell her what they’re up to.
It’s also not unusual for Shellie to be stopped in the street for a chinwag with a child.
She also immensely enjoyed hosting the rare JFK exhibition in the library during this year’s Elvis Festival.
“My time at Parkes Shire Council has been exciting, rewarding and a wonderful journey,” Shellie said.
“I will miss being able to make an impact – the role enabled me to support everyone from toddlers to students to cultural groups.
“We have family [in far north Queensland]...I do not have a job to go to but that’s part of the adventure.
“I’m looking forward to where my library skills will take me next.”
