Carol Smallwood

Pretty much all these tips can be found in other books or web sites; however, these are written from the perspective of a librarian for librarians. Contributors are librarians and others with special knowledge (i.e., financial adviser), both pre- and post-retired. Essays are very readable (including some complex financial explanations), interesting and humorous, pragmatic and hopeful. For me, it's taken much of the fear out of retirement (you're not a millionaire, dagnabit!) as it offers show more achievable options for creating a rewarding retirement experience.

I was surprised when a friend laughed at me when she saw the book's title because she knows I read many retirement sources to be fully prepared when the time comes. How could retirement for librarians be so different that we need our own book about it? Uhm, well, librarians have experience, values, skills, knowledge, and an attitude of service that really do set us apart from other employees and retirees. We are a profession that actually teaches others to do what we have been trained to do so they can do it for themselves! That, that is a labor of love. But, I digress.

This book addresses some of the ways that the librarian's retirement may reflect the above attributes as we move forward into this new phase of life.

Most of us who are librarians will not retire with an ostrich-sized nest egg, nor are we the type that runs away to Florida to sit in a 55+ retirement community for the next 40 years. If you are a librarian who meets either of these criteria, no offense; many of us are not in your league. Yet, you will also gain from reading this book, and more power to you!

Beyond the usual financial and health advice, and how to find your passion for your retirement years, areas of interest written specifically from a librarian's slant include going back to college; donating oral or archival documents; leaving your position with grace; some "what not to do" advice; publishing; volunteering; working in retirement; ways to stretch that sparrow-sized nest egg so that it supports you into your twilight years (Twilight?); and other topics. Very much worth the read. And if you're a young librarian, skim through the financial part to gain insight on how to build up that nest egg. show less

Obviously I've spent too much time in libraries because most of my reaction to this book was "HAHAHAHAHAHA" and an array of sarcastic, cynical comments.

Essays outline important topics to consider as retirement approaches, such as creating priorities, financial planning, applying for Medicare, and the emotional and mental shifts one faces. Although several years from my own retirement, this certainly has given me food for thought.

This is a good choice for some quick ideas and inspiration. Sections ranging from displays to grants to working with youth to management allow the reader to skip through the book to pick and choose chapters. I realize that this book was published by a small and probably independent publisher but the cover image is so absolutely horrible it is hard to not to judge this book by its cover. No image would have been better than this amateur drawing.