There were no computers in public libraries when Vancouver city librarian Paul Whitney began his career in Burnaby in 1974. Visitors and staff searched for items in card catalogue. One branch didn't know what was in the collection of another branch.

Much has changed in the years Whitney has worked. As he looks toward retirement, effective Dec. 31, the man who took charge of Vancouver's 21 public library branches seven years ago said the pace of change is only accelerating.

"I'm sort of torn about leaving," the 62-year-old resident of Dunbar said.

The arrival of the Internet created the biggest change in his career.

"We now talk about our website as being like a different location of our service," he said. "You can come there, you can read books there, you can read newspapers, you can borrow, you can place holds. So you can do many of the things there that you can do at a brick and mortar library."

But Whitney doesn't see libraries disappearing.

"Despite all these changes and the supposed death of the book, which is not going to happen in the near term, for sure, there's been a huge show of support by all of our communities for the importance of libraries," he said.

Whitney expects e-books to become more important but he says libraries and users will need to lobby suppliers to make them available across all platforms, whether it be a smartphone, new devices like the iPad or e-readers like the Kindle.

"Right now we have people coming into our buildings, using our study carrels and using their own laptops, so theoretically, they don't have to be here at all," he said. "But [that's] the real value of this non-commercial public space where people can come for their own purposes but be together with other people and do their own thing."

One-third of the library's circulation remains material for children.

"Clearly, if children don't catch the reading bug, they're going to be stymied when it come to all of the digital stuff that's out there," Whitney said.

In his seven years with the Vancouver Public Library, Whitney's proud to have increased hours at branches, although service had to be rolled back this past year because of budget constraints. He's pleased to see new library facilities for Mount Pleasant and Kensington, opening next year for Hillcrest and in the plans for Strathcona.

Under Whitney's leadership, the Vancouver Public Library has received international recognition for sending library staff into the community, welcoming marginalized users, its outreach to preschool children and its service to people with vision impairments, learning disabilities or those unable to hold a book.

The library has worked with the John Howard Society, started a modest employment program for aboriginal youth and rolled out programming for parents and their children in languages other than English at non-traditional venues.

It also launched its writer and storyteller-in-residence programs and an extensive art program.

Whitney, a library science graduate from the University of B.C., is past president of and has received awards from the Canadian and B.C. library associations, serves on the International Federation of Library Association's board and is involved in the Vancouver Learning City Initiative to promote literacy and lifelong learning.

After he retires, he'll continue to serve on library professional committees and plans to volunteer on boards or do advocacy work.

crossi@vancourier.com