By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

In her nine years as the Harney County Library Director, Jolyn Wynn has worked what some would consider miracles.

She brought the library into the 21st century by automating the checkout system, getting the library connected to the Internet and joining the Libraries of Eastern Oregon network, which increased the library’s collection from 28,000 books to more than one million through inter­library loans.

Another huge accomplishment was raising enough money to build the Claire McGill Luce Western History Room, which features two special collections of rare books. Under Wynn’s direction, the library was also re-sided, the parking lots repaved and the interior spruced up with new carpet, paint and upholstery.

It hasn’t been easy, but through it all Wynn has kept her dobber up and her mind open to the possibilities. After nine years on the job, she feels it is her time to retire. “It’s going to be really hard to let go of this community,” Wynn said.

Tenure in Harney Co.

Wynn and her husband, George, who works for the Forest Service, will be moving to Wyoming, which is where Wynn grew up.

The Wynns moved from Montana to Harney County in 1989. Wynn worked as a librarian and teacher at Slater and Hines schools.

When the county library director position opened up, Wynn interviewed for the job. “There were a lot of things that needed to be done,” she said. “I went home and thought, ‘I hope I  don’t get that job.’ ”

But as fate would have it, she got a call from County Commissioner Jack Drinkwater telling her she had been selected, and she began the job in July 1999.
At that time, the library budget was small and the library director and assistant jobs were part-time. Wynn decided to run the library using volunteers to cut down on costs and ended up weeding $8,000 out of the budget. She also held a book sale to de-crowd the library shelves and helped raise a little more money that way.

The next year, a little more money was allocated to run the library, and Wynn decided to work on the building, which was built in 1969. Little had been done to maintain it over the years, and it was a task just replacing all the burned out light bulbs. “It made such a difference,” Wynn said. “People could actually see books on the shelves.”

Technology arrives

In Wynn’s second year as library director, the library only had one computer for both the staff and public to use.

She happened to receive a call from Oregon Trail Internet of Pendleton, who offered to wire the entire library for Internet use for free if the library would house its server. “Sometimes you just have to say yes to opportunities,” Wynn said. She agreed, and the library was suddenly hooked up with T1 Internet capabilities.

It was also in her second year that she was contacted by the Libraries of Eastern Oregon, a network of 66 libraries through which inter-library loans are conducted. The Harney County Library soon became a member. “Just the idea that we were no longer a self contained library — that just opened up the world to us,” Wynn said.

It was through this network that Wynn found out about an Eastern Oregon University grant that helped automate rural libraries. “It was an awesome way to do it,” Wynn said. In 2001, people came to train the staff and books were outfitted with barcodes.

Western History Room

The Claire McGill Luce Western History Room, completed in January 2006, has been a huge boon to the library and entices visitors from all over the state.
In 2001, Wynn said the rare collections donated by Walter McEwen and Edward Gray were just sitting in a back room in boxes because the library simply didn’t have a secure room in which to display them for the public to use.

Library patron and avid historian Sandra Crittenden (who would become the collection’s curator) thought it was a travesty to have such valuable books hidden away. “She just went head over heels for that collection,” Wynn said of Crittenden.

Hence began years of fundraising that would culminate in the remodel of the library and the addition of the Western History Room.

Wynn started with community fundraisers and then got together with the county grant writer to find other avenues from which to obtain money. The Harney County Library Foundation was created to manage the funds.

In 2005, the project was put out to bid, and the bid came in $100,000 under what they had originally thought. With the extra money, they were able to re-side the exterior and buy new cement for the parking lots. The back of the library was remodeled, and they were able to buy a new circulation desk. “It really changed the face of the library,” Wynn said.

However, Wynn wasn’t done with the building improvements. The library has since raised enough money to re-carpet the building, paint the interior and re-upholster all the library chairs.

In addition, the Ford Family Foundation adopted the library last year as one of its projects and relandscaped the exterior.

Another boon to the library occurred two years ago when members of the library foundation decided the Claire Luce McGill Fund, which consisted of $1,750,000 earmarked for library use, should be endowed to the library instead of run by the county.

The library foundation is now in full control of the money, and Wynn said it looks as though the library should be able to run itself off the interest of that endowment. “There are a lot of other libraries in Oregon that have had to shut down,” Wynn said. Thanks to this endowment, she doesn’t think that will happen to the Harney County Library.

Passing the torch

While Wynn has accomplished much during her tenure with the library, she gives much credit to her staff. She noted that Suzanne Marchment, who runs the children’s program at the library, has truly brought the program into its own. “Suzanne’s program is second to none in Eastern Oregon,” she said.

The library’s new focus will be to offer more cultural programming. Since January, the library has had at least two cultural programs per month. Wynn has found a wealth of knowledge in the people of Harney County. “You’d be amazed of the talents in your own community,” she said. A former Marine instructor has given programs on orienteering and survival, and a local author gave a presentation on how to get published.

In July, Cheryl Hancock will take over as the library director. She hails from Prineville, where she was the assistant library director for a number of years. “She has a lot of experience,” Wynn said.

Wynn thinks it’s time to hand the job over to someone else. However, she wouldn’t rule out a job at a library in Wyoming. “I love working at libraries. It’s probably the best job in the world,” Wynn confided. “I want to get another library job —  but in the back room covering books.” She’ll leave the director position to someone else.

Wynn looks forward to moving across the country and being closer to family. But having lived in Harney County for almost 20 years, Wynn said it’ll be hard to say good bye. “You leave a big chunk of your heart when you’ve lived in one place for so long,” she said.

 Open house features barbecue

What: After nine years as the Harney County Library Director, Jolyn Wynn is retiring. Come say farewell at the library with an Open House celebration. The Appetizers and Snacks 4-H cooking club will be barbecuing and selling hamburgers and hot dogs with all the trimmings and will offer salads as well. Desserts donated by the Friends of the Library will also be available for purchase, too.

WHERE: Harney County Library, 80 W. D St.

WHEN: 3 to 7 p.m. Monday, June 30