Today, Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library says goodbye to Joan Massel, who has worked there for 57 years. She served under seven Pratt executive directors to become the longest-serving city employee, according to the Pratt. She began in the Technical Service Department at age 17 and now is executive secretary to the deputy director.

A fan of mysteries, she's now reading Buckingham Palace Gardens by Anne Perry and among her retirement gifts were autographed novels by a favorite, Laura Lippman.

In my book, Massel is one of the unsung heroes of American life. I bet most readers can recall a soft-spoken, smiling librarian who welcomed them to the world of books. These men and women restore a human scale to our libraries, which, like the Pratt, are often imposing, monumental buildings. That certainly is what I felt as a kid in New Britain, Conn., as I walked up the stone steps to the massive downtown city library, and found a quiet preserve inside. Does any librarian or library stand out in your memory?