Santa Cruz Public Libraries (SCPL) appears to be unable to keep their directors for long after Minerva Waterman (1876-1952) who held the head librarian position from 1890 to1941, Charles K. Atkins (1920-1997) who was the director of libraries from 1969 to 1982, and Anne Turner (1941-) who succeeded Atkins as the new director from 1983 to 2008.
Compared with their combined 89 years in office, the three subsequent directors only accumulated 12 years combined in their tenures at SCPL. In December 30, 2008 when Turner retired from the position, Teresa Landers replaced her in July 2009, and retired in May 2015. She was replaced by Susan M. Nemitz who became the library director in June 2016 and promptly retired in August 2021. Yolande Wilburn succeeded Nemitz in January 2022, but retired in October 2023 to accept a position of executive director for Evanston Public Library in Illinois.
For reasons unknown, Turner's famous departure quote stopped being effective, "The town is like Casablanca. You come for the waters and you stay to die." Such ineffectiveness might be due to it's being outdated. The saying of staying to die could be true with the mentality of library directors in the 19th and 20th centuries, but apparently not so with those in the 21st century. Even Turner herself left for San Francisco for her retirement shortly after the passing of her husband in 2012.
Another possible reason that succeeding directors retire so quickly might be attributed to being ill or misinformed about the job by their common recruiter, June Garcia. Santa Cruz people look laid back, living and working contentedly in their simple little houses, and old buildings. Like typical Californian residents, they are neither slow nor uneducated. Their leisurely and relaxed appearance belies a sharp and shrewd mind. They choose to stay in Santa Cruz because they want to hold on to a slow-changing oasis. If any newcomers want to make big waves, they will be confronted with an unpleasant awakening, and endless rail-trail like long debates.
A further possibility might lie in the professional satisfaction and reward of being a library director. But fascination and monetary incentive can only satisfy us human beings to a certain degree. The tiny and unimposing library system can be a true deterrent to new library directors. "It's old and tired," as stated Landers when she was first interviewed on scene by Sentinel, a local newspaper.
A final but not ultimate reason is that it takes a certain personality and lifestyle to be truly at home with Santa Cruz. In our decades’ living locally, my husband Paul and I have seen so many friends and acquaintances coming and going. The quick turnover of library directors is but one instance.
