Moose Jaw Public Library is bidding farewell to a longtime favourite staff member from the children’s department, as Wendy Drake will be retiring at the end of January.
Known as Miss Wendy to the children and families that attend the department’s programs, Drake has worked as a programmer in the children’s department for 13 years, which she says has been a delight.
“It's been wonderful to work here. There’s such good staff and management and that makes a job a lot easier,” said Drake. “I loved [my time] here and working with the children, the staff. They really are awesome and they make it easy to be here.”
Drake is likely best known for her weekly program Storytime with Miss Wendy, which is one of the only library programs that continued without a large pause when the building closed early in the fall.
Drake has also been involved with plenty of other programs at the MJPL over the years, with some favourites including the summertime stories in the park and Behind the Scenes tours from last year.
“I think [storytime] is my favourite part of the job. I have to say, being with the young children, it's so rewarding,” said Drake. “And you see the same families often, where they have one child that came and then they have another child and they bring them too.”
Looking back, Drake felt that the biggest challenge she faced during her tenure was keeping up with the changing technology — and if the success of the online version of Storytime with Miss Wendy is any indication, she has certainly succeeded in staying up-to-date.
For Drake, the thing she will miss most is spending time with the children. Interacting with youth is one of the reasons she was drawn to the position in the first place, and she has created many bonds with children and their parents over the years.
MJPL head librarian Gwen Fisher agreed that Drake has had a wonderful impact on families, children and even MJPL staff during her time at the library.
“Her wall by her desk is full of cards and thank you’s from families that have been touched by what she’s offered,” said Fisher. “During the pandemic, she helped us deliver our virtual storytime, and it was so heartwarming to see those kids who were isolated at home with their families connecting to each other and with Wendy.”
Fisher said that the staff will greatly miss Drake once she retires, as she has been a beloved member of the team for so long.
“We’re really sad to see Wendy go, she’s made a huge impact for a lot of people in Moose Jaw,” said Fisher. “One of our staff actually mentioned the other day that some staff refer to Wendy as our ‘library grandma,’ mostly because she’s all the things a grandma is: kind, caring, fun. And she clearly loves the children and really cares about their wellbeing, and she knows that literacy is so important to their future success, so she makes literacy extremely fun.”
Drake said she will also miss her friends and coworkers at the MJPL, but she is also looking forward to having some more free time to relax, volunteer and spend more time with her grandchildren in her upcoming retirement.
