The Verona Public Library will hold a retirement party for Bill Trafton this Saturday, February 10, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Library’s temporary home in the Verona Community Center annex. Trafton retired from Library in December after 35 years of service, and was perhaps best known to library patrons as the inter-library loan librarian.
Trafton received his master’s degree in library science from the University of South Carolina, where he supports a scholarship at its School of Library & Information Science. He grew up in Caldwell, and remains involved in that community as an elder in the First Presbyterian Church. He worked as a cataloger at the Library for many years, but most people know him from its circulation desk.
“He has a great memory for people’s names, and has been a useful resource when it comes to local history,” said Catherine Adair Williams, the library’s assistant director, by email. “He’s seen the evolution of the library from the card catalog to an automated system (now online) and the current consortium with PALS Plus (each one of these steps required major migrations). That doesn’t even cover the changes in print formats: microfilm, CD Roms, eBooks, etc.”
“He was a fixture and a mainstay at the circulation desk,” Mayor Kevin Ryan said at the Town Council’s January 8 meeting, “and he’s seen many changes at the library over the years. Bill goes back to the days of the card catalog, long before computers became a fixture in the library. He’s watched generations of Verona families grow and is a good friend to many in our community.”
Bill has been extremely welcoming and helpful to me and my family our 18 years in Verona. He will be missed and I wish Bill all the best in his retirement. Thank you, Bill!