In a hail of praise, handshakes and remembrance, he wasgone.

Dr. Russell Burns, a 45-year trustee of the Lincoln CountyPublic Library, finally celebrated his retirement from the libraryboard Tuesday one year after he stepped back from the localinstitution he helped build. Friends, family and associates hetutored along the way joined the retired dentist and still-servingchairman of the Mississippi Library Commission to celebrate andthank him for his work with the library, which has grown from twosmall rooms to an information nerve center containing around 90,000volumes.

“I’ve had a great run and I’ve enjoyed ever minute of it,” Burnssaid at his reception. “It’s a great institution, and we’ve come along way.”

When Burns was appointed to the board of trustees in 1963, thelibrary was housed in two small rooms in the Brookhaven-LincolnCounty Chamber of Commerce, which then served as city hall.

The Legislature began letting bonds for library construction,and Burns and his fellow trustees steered the library in thatdirection. County supervisors and city aldermen added to thepot.

Burns next helped secure a chunk of land from Whitworth Collegeon Jackson Street, the library’s location today. When the newbuilding opened the library came of age, and usage increasedsharply. The trustees undertook building programs to expand thebuilding over the years, and the last, $1 million addition wasadded on the building’s west side in October 2002.

“We are outstanding with our facilities and what we offercompared to other rural communities of similar size,” Burns said.”And through the library loan program, we can get you any book youwant. You want something in a library in Dublin, Ireland? You canget it.”

Burns also pointed out that more than books may be found in thelibrary. The building also offers videos, references and otherpublished resources, educational programs for children and adults,local history, genealogical services and computer use.

“Sit at the library and see what goes on,” he recommended.”People think it’s just books, checking in and checking out. Yes,books are the focal point, but there’s so much more.”

The doctor was especially proud of the library’s computers,which are updated and replaced periodically. The computer bankstarted small, was expanded and refreshed in 2005 when city leadersand the state’s federal representation worked together to bringmore than 20 new machines into the building for public use. Furtherexpansion occurred in 2007 when all three branches of theLincoln-Lawrence-Franklin Regional Library system were awardedgrants through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Burns said the computers multiply the library’s services.

“Some people may play games, but most are actively seekinginformation – they’re researching, they’re job-hunting,” he said.”Following (Hurricane) Katrina, when we were inundated withrefugees, the computers were the only link they had to family andfriends and relief agencies.”

Burns said he was leaving the library in good hands and is readyto move on. When asked what he planned to do with his new-foundfree time, he said, “Just what I’ve been doing since I retired fromdentistry – absolutely nothing!”

He plans to stay involved with the library and make himselfavailable to its leaders, however.

“You never lose interest,” Burns said. “I have been in thelibrary with my nose stuck in a book since the fourth-grade. Thatbegan a love of books of reading, and I didn’t realize it was alifetime marriage when I started out (as a trustee), but that’swhat it became. It’s not choosing books, it’s learning howlibraries work, what they offer and learning how to give the peoplewhat they want.”

Sharman Smith, director of the Mississippi Library Commission,began her service as an assistant in the Lincoln County PublicLibrary. While speaking at Burns’ celebration Monday, she recalleda conversation between master and pupil that she said served herwell during her career.

“When I was a new director, Dr. Burns came to me and said, ‘Idon’t want to know and you don’t have to ask permission to change alight bulb, but if you change the entire lighting system, I’d liketo know,'” she recalled. “It’s what I’ve adopted as my managementstyle. That balance as served me well while working withboards.”

Library director Henry Ledet said his institution’s trusteeswere a solid group, but he would still call upon Burns from time totime if he needs advice.

“He’s a wise man,” Ledet said. “I learned a lot from him.”