In less than one month, Lucie P. Osborn, who has served as the Laramie County Librarian for 25 years, will retire from the Laramie County Library System (LCLS). Her final day will be June 3, 2015.
Raised in Cheshire, Connecticut, Osborn began her westward journey in college, graduating with a degree in Sociology from Wittenberg University in Ohio. She earned her MA from Wright State University, and a Master of Library Science from Kent State University.
Osborn has worked at LCLS since 1979, except for a brief stint from 1987-1990, in which she served as director of the library in Kingston, Massachusetts. She has been the County Librarian at LCLS since 1990.
During her tenure, the library system has matured with the development of staff, the successful passage of a tax ballot for a new main library (the new building opened in 2007), a new bookmobile, upgrades to the Pine Bluffs branch library, and a larger facility for the Burns Branch Library. In 2008, under Osborn’s leadership, LCLS was named Library Journal Library of the Year.
Osborn is active in the Cheyenne community, being a former president of the Cheyenne League of Women Voters, the Zonta Club of Cheyenne, as well as the Rotary Club of Cheyenne. In addition, she was the Cheyenne representative to the Oversight Committee for the NCAR Wyoming Supercomputer Center that opened in 2012.
She served on the merger committee to combine the Cheyenne Arts Council and the Arts Alliance of Cheyenne into one organization, Arts Cheyenne, and presently serves as board secretary. She received the prestigious Athena Award from the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, recognizing her involvement in assisting women to reach their full leadership potential.
A past president of the Wyoming Library Association, Osborn received the Distinguished Service Award in 2003. She is a graduate of Leadership Wyoming and is proud to be a member of the 2012 class.
As for her plans during retirement, Osborn says she will enjoy spending time with her husband of 44 years; dog, Kody; and cat, Larry. She will undoubtedly fill her time reading, volunteering, walking, cooking, and traveling.