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50-year Forsyth library veteran retires to read
Journal photo by David Rolfe
Dolores Sampedro at her desk at Forsyth County Public Library.
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Published: September 7, 2009
Fifty years ago, Dolores Sampedro took a job with the Forsyth County Public Library.
She never felt the need to find another one -- or, until now, to retire.
"It's been a career that suits me," she said.
Sampedro, 73, works in the Central Library.
Many patrons may not be familiar with her, though. Hearing difficulties led her to decide early on that it would be better for her to work behind the scenes in what, these days, is called technical services, where her responsibilities include cataloging books.
People who go to downtown music events, though, will readily recognize her as someone who likes to dance. After just listening to the music for the first few years, she decided to join the people who got up and danced.
"I got to thinking that looks like so much fun," she said.
A thirst for reading
Sampedro -- fresh from earning a master's degree in library science at the UNC Chapel Hill -- arrived at the library in March of 1959. In those days, the tools she used included a typewriter and paste, which she used to glue card pockets in the backs of books.
These days, her main tool is a computer.
"She has seen many changes through the years," said colleague Linda Sparks.
Sparks considers Sampedro a "fountain of knowledge" who knows the Dewey Decimal book-classification system "in and out, backwards and forwards."
Plus, people like her a lot as a person.
"She is really a delightful lady," said Lisa Kushner, the head of technical services. "She will definitely be missed. It's the end of an era."
Not surprisingly, Sampedro is an avid reader.
"I read during breakfast, during lunch and during dinner," she said.
She got her first library card in the first grade. From dog stories and horse stories, she graduated to stories about plucky girls finding their way in the world. In Butterfly Takes Command -- a book that would come to mind when Sampedro was trying to decide what career to pursue -- Butterfly becomes a librarian.
For many years, her reading staples have included mysteries, historical fiction, and fantasy and science fiction, which she discovered years ago when "some kind soul" donated a stack of Astounding Science Fiction magazines to the local library.
Her other interests include travel and making ceramics. She has made bowls on a potter's wheel and built pieces by hand, including the friendly dragon who shares her work space.
Following Butterfly
Her hearing difficulties appeared in the fourth grade and worsened over time. Sampedro isn't sure what happened. Doctors later speculated that the problem may have been caused by an illness, but, if it was, the family didn't know what illness it might have been.
Sampedro, whose family had moved to Durham when her father took a supervisory position in a hosiery mill, went to Duke with no clear idea of the career that she would like to pursue. As the need to choose a path became more pressing, she found herself thinking about Butterfly.
Sampedro had always liked spending time at libraries.
"The librarians were so nice, and the library felt like home," she said.
The idea of that becoming her work environment appealed to her.
"I was going to work in a library and have all those lovely books available to me," she said.
After graduating from Duke with a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in art history, she headed to library school at Carolina. Sampedro, who officially retires Sept. 30, is one of seven library employees retiring about the same time, in part because of a county incentive package designed to cut costs in a tight budget year.
The others are Vivian Cox (library assistant, 39 years), Pat Brown (library assistant, 30 years), Dave Fergusson (deputy director, 29 years) Betty Cude (fiscal technician, 29 years), Judy Prater (senior office assistant, 26 years) and John Via (librarian, 10 years).
With Sampedro's need to feed her reading habit, she expects to be a regular at the Central Library.
"My car knows the way," she said.
■ Kim Underwood can be reached at 727-7389 or at kunderwood@wsjournal.com.
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