PIERCETON — All good things must come to an end — including labors of love.

Pierceton Library Director Pam Myers pauses for a photo on one of the famed “Bridges of Madison County” in Winterset, Iowa. She and her husband toured the bridges made famous by the 1995 namesake movie starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. (Photo provided)

During her tenure as director of the Pierceton and Washington Township Carnegie Public Library, Pamela Myers has plied the job she loves, greeting patrons with a friendly smile, helping children discover the wonder of reading and engaging in neighborly back-fence chats across the information desk.

“I love my job or I wouldn’t have been here for 37 years,” she said.

She is retiring Jan. 1, 2020, and will be treated to a farewell party and open house from 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, at the library, 101 Catholic St., Pierceton. The public is invited to drop in to say goodbye and enjoy cake and punch.

Myers is only the fourth director of the century-old library, which opened April 26, 1918. “They had a book shower in October 1919 and received 107 books,” said Myers. “Now we have about 30,000 books, a few audio books and some children’s movies that have been donated.”

When Myers started as director in 1982, “we didn’t even have a telephone in here. We were really on a shoestring budget. But right when I started the library board said because of the small children where we might have to get hold of their parents, we needed a telephone.”

Today the library is “still on a frugal budget because we’re a small town,” she said. But she has overseen many changes and advancements during her tenure.

“In April 2007 we finished a two-year remodeling project that gave us an elevator and a one-third bigger building. We have a beautiful community room that holds 50 people, which is used for baby showers, Christmas parties and other get-togethers. We are now handicap accessible.”

Technology has changed the library’s use and patronage, according to Myers. “We have four computers for the public. In the last six years there has been a real cycle of technology with Kindle and tablets,” she said.

That technology has replaced library visits for some, “but we still have the old diehards. A big trend is not as many parents bring their children to the library. Now grandparents are bringing the kids. It’s just a sign of the times.”

But the library is not just about books and reading. “The library is almost like a community center, where people just drop in to say ‘Hi.’” That suits Myers just fine. “What I love most is meeting the public and being social,” she said.

Myers will be succeeded by Connie Anderson, the other full-time employee who has worked at the library for five years.

Retirement will afford Myers more time for the diversions she enjoys the most: quilting; traveling with her husband, Kevin — they celebrated their 48th anniversary Nov. 7; and, not surprisingly, reading.

She and Kevin have two grown children and six grandchildren. Their daughter, Ruth Ayres, is director of the Lead Learners program in the Wawasee Community School Corporation. She is married to Andy Ayres.

Their son, Jeff, is a senior GIS developer who works nationwide with Beacon, an interactive public access portal for real estate and government records. His wife’s name is Susan.

The library’s hours are 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, contact the library at (574) 594-5474 or www.piercetonlibrary.org.