BELLE FOURCHE—Known for its quiet atmosphere, the public library broke its own rule of silence when the community gathered to celebrate the retirement of Library Director Wanda Nelson on May 8.
After giving 40 years of her life to the City of Belle Fourche, Nelson is ready to try something different. “Well, I think the first thing I’m gonna do is start cleaning out my house—I’ve got so much stuff there! We’re gonna travel and see our kids more,” shared Nelson. One of her first trips will be her first cruise. She said, “I am excited for the cruise, but I’m scared!”
Nelson started at the library in 1986. “I started at the bottom,” joked Nelson. “I was a library aide and I’ve done all of the jobs here!” She has been the library director for the past ten years. During her time at the library, she has seen a lot of changes. She thinks the biggest change over her tenure was the advent of technology. “The biggest change was the library getting computerized, the digital stuff,” shared Nelson. “It just made things easier for us around here. It hasn’t been a hindrance, that is for sure. It’s been very helpful!”
It seems as though Wanda was the perfect person to lead the library through the new technological times. “…in 1997 or thereabouts…when we got the computers, we got the first computers from the Bill Gates Foundation, and it was lucky for the library that Wanda was here, because she knows more about computers than I’ll ever know in my life—so she helped us out here,” explained Pat Engebretson, past library director.
During the retirement celebration, there was an opportunity for friends to share stories about Wanda. The special guest speaker for the event was Engebretson. She shared, “So today, we celebrate Wanda and her years of service to the library and to the City of Belle Fourche…we wish her a happy retirement, and may she have lots of years to travel or just sit at home and do nothing…it’s been my honor to work with you all those years that we did, and it’s even a bigger honor to be your friend, so all the best to you Wanda!”
Community member Stacey Raisanen shared, “I want to say the library has always been the most welcoming place in Belle Fourche for little kids…but I want to thank all the librarians too, for the care and compassion shown to help my kids become lifelong readers! You’re going to be missed a lot, but remember, you can’t be missed if you don’t go away!”
After attendees shared stories about Nelson and tears were shed, everyone was invited to enjoy baked goods, grab a drink and visit with one another. A table displayed cards and flowers left for Wanda.
The library has hired its next director, Josh Abraham. “I’ve been here since last Monday, trying to learn as much as I can before Wanda’s last day,” he said.
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