Library director announces retirement

July 21, 2015

Public Library Director Joan Singleton ended her career with the City of Bartlesville recently after 26 years of service.

Joan Singleton's last day as library director was Aug. 28. Singleton retired after 26 years of service with the City of Bartlesville.
Joan Singleton’s last day as library director was Aug. 28. Singleton retired after 26 years of service with the City of Bartlesville.

Singleton began her career with the City of Bartlesville in 1989 as the Public Services librarian. Her position was eventually upgraded to assistant director, and in 2001 she was promoted to the director position. In 2008, she was given the additional responsibility of directing the Bartlesville Area History Museum and the White Rose Cemetery.Singleton serves not only as director of the library, but also as director of the Bartlesville Area History Museum and White Rose Cemetery, both of which are owned by the City of Bartlesville.

“I’ve had wonderful and memorable experiences, thanks to great staff in every department,” Singleton says.

Programs and accomplishments

Singleton can point to many accomplishments over the years for all three departments, including the library’s development of Books @ Home program, which provides library services for homebound citizens or those with limited mobility, as well as the creation of the Literary Services Department, which serves hundreds every year with literacy and/or citizenship needs.

These are among the many services and programs created on Singleton’s watch — and that’s just for the library.

At White Rose Cemetery, Singleton oversaw the building of a bell tower and the development of the new McCaleb Addition, among other projects.

“We were able to enhance the entrance to the mausoleum with a handicap accessible ramp and upgrade areas within the cemetery, thanks to the efforts of the White Rose Board. And plans continue to be made with the desire to feature White Rose as the special place that it holds in our community,” she says.

At the history museum, upgrades include fresh, new displays that are available with videos, and “summer history camps” for school-age children.

“Through digitization we have preserved over 100,000 images of documents, newspapers, city directories, photos, negatives and post cards, and there is still plenty of work to be done,” Singleton says. “Much of it has been completed, thanks to the generosity of granting benefactors, but as we continue to ‘collect’ our history and assist researchers — local and beyond — we will never be finished, but we will be more effective in telling Bartlesville’s story.”

New career in Bartlesville

Singleton has lived in Bartlesville since 1981, moving here with her husband and children from El Paso, Texas. She graduated from the University of North Texas (previously known as North Texas State University) with a master’s degree in Library and Information Science.

She worked at the Rosenberg Library in Galveston and the El Paso Library as the Children’s and Young Adult librarian. She met and married her husband while in El Paso.

Notable moments

Singleton has been with the Bartlesville Public Library since before the facility seen today was even constructed.

“A few of the remaining library staff have moved this library three times — in 1989 and 1992, when we were tearing down an old building and then when we moved into the new, and again in 2010,” she says. “We had new carpeting installed throughout the building, so that was a job — moving everything into another area while they put down the carpeting them moving it all back. So I think we could say we’ve moved this collection four times! Not exactly a job for the weak in muscle or the weak in spirit, but we did earn the respect of the City’s maintenance crew!”

Singleton also recalls helping to move “about two-thirds” of the history museum’s stored collection into the Pioneer Gallery while major modifications were made in the building’s air handling system, “which required workers to tear up sizable areas of the ceiling to get to the underside of the roof,” she says.

“Not a pretty picture for a facility that is trying to be so cautious about temperature, dust and humidity,” she says.

Community involvement

Singleton has been active in the Bartlesville community throughout her career, serving on several boards and committees, including the Girl Scouts Bluestem Council, Girl Scouts Eastern Oklahoma, Oklahoma Public Library Directors Council, and Daybreak Rotary. 

While the community has clearly benefited from Singleton’s leadership of three of the City’s most important departments, the pleasure was all hers, she says.

“I’m just someone who has had a good life, a good family, and I’ve been able to work at a job I love,” she says.