Retiring library director to leave behind 45 years with books

When Mary Johns retires next month, she will leave behind a hub of lifelong learning that goes beyond the checkout counter.

The director of Siouxland Libraries said Monday that it was time to call it quits after five years at Siouxland's helm and more than four decades in libraries.

She is scheduled to depart Aug. 31 – the anniversary of her first library job.

“I realized that Aug. 31 will be exactly — exactly — 45 years since I started my library career,” Johns said. “I say, you know what? That’s long enough for everybody.”

The 67-year-old plans to move to the Chicago area and enjoy being a Cubs fan.

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Johns started working for the city of Sioux Falls in August 2011 when she replaced former library director Sallie Felix.

The process of naming Johns’ replacement will start in the coming weeks, Mayor Mike Huether said in a statement. The library's board of trustees, Minnehaha County and the city of Sioux Falls will be involved in the hiring.

“Mary Johns has taken efficiency, productivity and service of Siouxland Libraries to an all new level for our community and Minnehaha County,” Huether said. “Her vision and positive energy will be missed, and I wish her the best in her retirement.”

The library system has undergone physical growth during Johns’ time as director, including the 2013 opening of the Prairie West branch in the western part of the city and the ongoing additions to the Caille branch.

The in-progress $1.2 million upgrade to Caille is more than an effort to increase space for readers. The changes follow some of the same priorities Johns has had during her tenure.

“We’re remodeling that library to make it more efficient and effective, as well as to incorporate some of these early-childhood kinds of things,” Johns said.

Early-childhood education was a focus for Johns as she oversaw a period of increased flexibility for librarians in the Siouxland system.

Johns led the system during the implementation of new technology such as a self-checkout system for library patrons, automated materials handling for library employees and a new online catalog system.

The changes brought Sioux Falls librarians out from the stacks. Freed from duties behind the counter, Johns encouraged them to engage the community. Libraries added classes, clubs and reading programs for all ages, emphasizing educational opportunities beyond the catalog of books.

Program attendance ballooned in the first couple of years of Johns’ tenure. It’s still 32 percent higher than when she started, in spite of some tapering off in recent years.

“It’s a direct result of that change in how we do service,” said Monique Christensen, senior librarian. “We put the people where they can interact with our customers, rather than interact with the books.”

There’s a yearly book walk, when librarians post the pages of children’s books along the bike path and invite the community outdoors to walk and read. There are weekly trivia nights at Monks House of Ale Repute, a 1,000-books-by-kindergarten reading program and pop-up story times downtown.

Johns also is proud of the Family Place Library program, piloted this year at the downtown branch. Librarians work with the families of young readers, offering workshops on early-childhood development and learning, covering everything from speech to nutrition.

“There’s a premise that if I can read, I can succeed,” Johns said. “And that’s what a lot of our programs are certainly based on.”