DECATUR — Longtime Van Buren District Library Director David Tate is announcing his plans to retire at the end of this year.
Tate made his intentions known to the library board: “It has been a privilege and honor serving you and the people in the library’s service area for the past 34 years.”
During the next few months, Tate plans to complete pending projects, including the 2013 budget, and work with library staff to develop additional expertise and depth within the library system.  He will also provide any support necessary to assist the board in the search for a successor.
Tate was hired in October 1978 as director of the Van Buren County Library. His title changed to director of the Van Buren District Library in 1990, when the district became the first library in Michigan to be established under the District Library Act of 1989.
“I’ve seen the whole computer age unfold before me,” Tate said. “I started out with traditional card catalogs and depart knowing I can search our library’s holdings and even renew a book by using a smartphone. It’s been an amazing journey.”
Van Buren District Library is headquartered in Decatur with branches in Bangor, Bloomingdale, Covert, Gobles, Lawrence and Mattawan.