A fond farewell
Librarian Michael Farley is retiring after more than 38 years at Bethlehem Public Library. He has seen the library evolve over the years, and shared his thoughts recently about those changes and what he has taken away from his time at the library.
BPL: What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in your time at the library?
M. Farley: The glaring thing is the changes in technology. It’s just accelerated so much from the mid-’80s. These days, people don’t require the same things as they used to; however, the demand for books is still the same.
BPL: What were some of the more profound technological changes you saw?
M. Farley: We had the card catalog long after we stopped adding cards to it because the director at the time was very sentimental about it. Patrons came in for many years saying, “I miss the card catalog,” and I would say, “Oh, well you know if you use the online catalog you can see whether it’s in or not or whether we even own it” because the card catalog had become obsolete.
Some things happened slowly, like in the 1980s, we had the internet, but the internet was not anything like it is now because the web didn’t even exist yet. It really wasn’t useful for a long time, and a lot of us didn’t trust it for a long time.
BPL: Tell me a little bit about how you became the library’s music guy?
M. Farley: When I applied for the job and went through interview process, I got to talk about different areas where I have expertise (like music). I think they thought, “We’ll make sure he has a voice.” The director at the time was still running Evenings on the Green, but at some point, she said, “Michael, I really feel like I’d like to pass this on to you.”
BPL: Where did the idea of the Listening Parties come from?
M. Farley: The first one was in September 2010. I did 111 of them in all. It just came to me in a flash. I was out running, and literally out of nowhere, I thought, “Hey, what if we have a music discussion program at the library.” Then the voice of doubt would creep in and be like, “Do you really think that’s a great idea; it’s kind of goofy?” I started out with The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. I thought people would like to talk about classic rock. But then I did Miles Davis, and I got 13 people, so I thought maybe I should make this a jazz series, and for years that’s all we discussed.
BPL: Did any of the discussions stand out to you as a favorite?
M. Farley: There were a few where I really felt like I was doing a public service introducing people to musicians – Laura Nyro was one. Everybody knows the songs she wrote, but they don’t know how she recorded them.
BPL: What will you miss the most about working in the library?
M. Farley: It sounds cliché to say it’s the people, but it really is.
BPL: What are you planning to do in your retirement?
M. Farley: I want to practice the guitar more and get better at that. I’ve been a runner since ’93, but it’s been sporadic because I can’t keep up a consistent routine, and I really want to establish that for myself for the physical and mental health aspect. Running is also really an amazing mind opener. I would like more opportunities for that to happen.
