Library Director Alan Roeckel retired June 21 after working more than three decades at the Garden City Public Library. Mr. Roeckel joined the staff on January 5, 1976 as an assistant reference librarian and then became a reference librarian, head of adult services, and acting director. He became director of the Library in 1987.

At a recent Garden City Village Board of Trustees meeting, Mr. Roeckel said, “This has been a marvelous opportunity for me, and I certainly leave with deeply mixed emotions. But as many of you know, my wife passed away … My sons are my family and I believe this is the time for me to be with them. I shall miss this village and the good people in it…” Mr. Roeckel plans to move the Denver suburbs where he will live with two of his three sons.

After his move, Alan Roeckel expects to return to the reference desk at least on a part-time basis; however, he also plans to have time for recreation. “My oldest son, Tim, has promised to teach me how to fly fish in the mountain streams,” he said. In addition to being an avid reader and library and bookstore user, Mr. Roeckel is a railroad and rapid-transit buff. He has ridden every subway line in New York City and now looks forward to exploring Denver’s rail system.

In his 32 years at the Garden City Public Library, Alan Roeckel has seen numerous changes, the greatest of which has been the computerization of libraries. The most recent change in Garden City was the Library’s renovation project, which included an enlarged Young Adult Department, a new Audio-Visual Center and Computer Lab, and a Café vending area. In an interview in the Garden City Life, Alan Roeckel described his biggest accomplishment at Garden City as “assembling the Library’s current staff," which, he believes, "is the best of any public library in Nassau County.”

After graduating from King’s College in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania with an English degree and spending some time in the military, Mr. Roeckel attended the Graduate Library School at SUNY Albany. He accepted his first job at the reference desk in East Meadow. Mr. Roeckel believes he was very fortunate to have started his career working with Tom Dutelle, then director of East Meadow, and Irving Adelman, then reference head, whom he described as “legends in the library field.”

Looking toward the future of libraries, Mr. Roeckel believes one of the challenges will be to keep the public interested in reading and using libraries. “I have the sense that young people, particularly those in their 20s, 30s and 40s, have less leisure time and are reading less for recreation and pleasure,” said Mr. Roeckel. He believes that service is key in libraries. “I was taught that the patron is always right and that the library staff never says no to a patron. Service is the only reason we are here,” he concluded. Reflecting back on his career, Mr. Roeckel believes he chose a great profession and has received great satisfaction.