Turnis recalls past 18 years with library

     After 18 years of working for the Monticello Public Library, Michelle Turnis stepped down last week to pursue a different career path in her life.

   “It’s time for a change,” she said. “COVID changed the library, and we lost patrons the last year and a half. We’re not quite as busy as we were before COVID.”

   Turnis admitted she missed interacting with the public, as her role of library director kept her quite busy in her office.

   While she’s moving on, Turnis will still be working in the Monticello community. She took a job with Lundahl, Hatt and Austad (LHA) Tax Services; they recently opened an office in downtown Monticello.

   “I’ll be full-time during tax season, and part-time the rest of the year,” she shared.

   Turnis started working for the Monticello library in January 2005. By this time, the capital campaign committee had accomplished their goal of raising enough money to build a brand-new library.

   “The plans were done when I started,” Turnis recalled.

   In June 2006, library staff, city staff, and school students helped haul books from the old library (across the street from the Express) to the new one.

   “It was fun to watch the whole process,” she said of starting from scratch in a new building.

   As an avid reader and library user all her life, Turnis thought working at a library would be a great fit.

   “I’ve always been able to connect with people about books.”

   When she was initially hired, Turnis replaced Glenda Eilers. Turnis started out working part-time, helping with the Summer Reading Program and serving as a clerk. A few years later, she became full-time.

   In 2013, Turnis was hired by the library board to serve as director, replacing Nancy Digmann.

   “By this time, I had held all of the other positions; I felt this was a different role for me,” she said of wanting to move up the ladder. “It was a natural progression.”

   Turnis had worked for the library for eight years by this point.

   In her 18 years with the library, Turnis has experienced so many changes where the library is considered, the biggest obviously being the move to a larger building.

   “When we moved here, we were able to expand the teen section more and increase programming,” she said.

   Turnis served as the teen and technology librarian for a long time. When Toni Muller retired from the library, Turnis became the children’s librarian and hosted Storytime.

   Another change has been technology within the library. They went from large desktop computers to flatscreens to laptops and tablets. Books aren’t just available in physical form; you can also check them out as an audio book or download an e-book.

   “In the last 15 years, technology has changed massively,” she said. “I didn’t grow up with technology so I was forced to learn it all so I could help people.”

   When the new library opened, none of the books or materials were barcoded or categorized in the electronic card catalog.

   “That was all done when we moved here,” Turnis said. “We had an old-school check-out system. That was a big change.”

   While public libraries across the country, including Iowa, have recently experienced calls for banning books, Turnis said she’s thankful that has not been an issue in Monticello.

   “There has been quite a bit of controversy about library materials,” she said. “But in our community, we don’t hear a lot of pushback.

   “We have a wide variety of materials here, and it makes me happy as a small town that people are understanding. We provide materials for everybody, not just one worldview.”

   The library has an extensive collection of DVDs (movies and TV series). While there are so many ways in which the public can watch TV or see a movie these days, the DVDs in the library are still quite popular.

   “I have a love-hate relationship with streaming services as a representative of the library,” Turnis admitted. “People come in driven by what they’re watching and want to read books many of the shows/movies are based on.”

   Turnis has worked with several staff members and many library board members over the years. She had nothing but praise for them all.

   “You don’t work here for the glory and the money,” she said. “You’re here for the people who come into the library.

   “I’ve always enjoyed the people I worked with. We’ve always had a good staff,” she continued. “You have to wear a lot of hats here and deal with a lot of personalities.”

   She also felt her board members have been very supportive of the staff and the library in general over years.

   “They’ve been a great representation of the community as a whole,” she said of the various board members.

   As Turnis was preparing to box up her belongings in her office, she came across a flash drive with old photos on it of library programs throughout the years. Ironically, one of the photos was of herself with Anthony Gomez when he was in high school. Gomez is now a member of the library board.

   “I’ve enjoyed seeing kids continue to come to and use the library,” she said. “Once kids get into middle school/high school, usage starts to drop off.”

   One of Turnis’ most enjoyable services has been offering book suggestions to people over the years; something she hasn’t been able to do the last few years. The role of director brought a lot of responsibilities, including building maintenance and online reports.

   “This job has expanded my horizons a bit, but it’s time for new blood. A different director will have new ideas.”

   Her advice to the in-coming director is to come in, listen to the staff, observe, and learn about the library and community before any changes are made.

   “Get out into the community,” she urged. “What are people looking for with our library? Ask questions and take the time to help people.”