By Helen Miller Contributor
After 24 years serving as the librarian of the White Springs Library, Tracy Woodard is retired on Thursday, Dec. 31. Talked into opening a local branch of the Suwannee River Regional Library in 1997, Woodard has many accomplishments to her credit.
Early on, when the library was located at the historic Delegal Building, Woodard used an internet computer from which she provided reference services. At that time, the library had a very small non-fiction section and sparse reference resources. When the library was awarded a Gates Foundation grant, the funds were used to wire Delegal for the internet. This act ushered in a critical addition to the community's infrastructure, and provided the means for patron access – it was indeed, "a new day."
Today, WiFi internet access at the library serves as a major resource, not only for White Springs residents, but also residents of and visitors to the tri-county area around White Springs, and guests at the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park.
Woodard also worked with Hamilton County officials overseeing construction of the "new" library facility, which was dedicated in 2013. The new building, which features a patron-friendly Front Porch, is unusual for a library. With WiFi access, rocking chairs, and electric outlets, patrons "use the library" even when closed. The library was built with funds donated by PotashCorp, now named Nutrien, Hamilton County's largest private employer, on land set-aside by the Camp family.
"Several of our citizens and even some visitors have attended college on that Front Porch. The county commission hit it out of the park with that design," noted Woodard.
The library includes a meeting room, which currently serves as the White Springs voting precinct site. It is also available for community groups to meet, conduct meetings, and host local authors and out-of-town guest speakers. "We've had some rollicking teen group programs in that room, hosted Santa one year, and provided educational programming for toddlers, school-age kids and adults," stated Woodard.
Prior to her tenure as a librarian, Woodard worked as a correspondent for the White Springs Leader and the Lake City Reporter, a general assignment reporter for the Jasper News, and as a paraprofessional at South Hamilton Elementary School.
Woodard has also been active at the municipal level in White Springs, serving on the town council and as a member and officer of numerous local committees and organizations. She presently serves on the planning and zoning board and was project coordinator for the historic district nomination and grant coordinator for the town's historical tour brochure and markers. Woodard also co-founded the annual White Springs Christmas Parade with Joyce McDaniel in 1978. She coordinated the Christmas Parade for 25 years before transiting it to the town's special events committee.
Tracy and her husband Woody moved to White Springs as newlyweds for Woody to work construction at the Occidental Chemical Plant. They will soon have been married for 48 years. They have three children: Cleta (St. Augustine), Melissa (Sebring) and Clay (Gainesville); and three grandchildren: Nick (FSU), MacKenzie (UF) and Clara, who will soon be nine years old.
In retirement, Tracy will continue to enjoy her house plants and outdoor gardening, bird watching and reading. She has signed up to be a Citizen Archivist; in this capacity, she will be transcribing and tagging historical records for the National Archives. "I know that sounds monumentally boring and nerdy to most folks, but I love all things historical and have an insatiable curiosity," stated Woodard.
Tracy's retirement plans include publishing a second edition of her "Documented History of White Springs" once the pandemic eases. She loves the Pacific Northwest, the Western Desert States, Scotland and Nova Scotia, even though she and Woody were hit with the remnants of Hurricane Helene while in Scotland and the full force of Hurricane Dorian while in Nova Scotia. Tracy hopes to take an extended trip out west to see the places they missed before and travel to Ireland. She also plans to take a more active role in the family businesses.
"I loved working at the library, where I had the honor of serving children who are now adults and bringing their own children to the library. I worked with some fine people. Mr. Danny Hales, my first director, was an excellent mentor, and Mrs. Betty Lawrence, his successor, has been supportive and enthusiastic about local libraries," concluded Woodard.
Former and current town officials, heads of local and regional organizations, as well as countless library patrons continue to express their appreciation to Tracy Woodard for her dedication to improving access to educational resources and the knowledge, magic and fun of books and digital media made possible through the local library in White Springs.
The library in White Springs is located at 16403 Jewett Street and the phone number is (386) 397-1389.