It was the dream job, what Christopher LaRoux had strived for. Six years ago he got that job as director of the Warwick Public Library, and it’s lived up to all his expectations – and then, with COVID-19, even more.

On Monday, Stephanie Carter, chair of the library Board of Trustees, announced LaRoux will retire Oct. 1, thereby completing a 39-year career in library service.

In an interview Monday afternoon, LaRoux said the Warwick post was his “dream job” for a number of reasons. He said the library is progressive; that it was a leader in developing self-service and empowering people; that it had advanced technology; and that its funding “is fairly good.”

LaRoux said the library was experiencing a resurgence with a growth in loaned items and traffic. Prior to the shutdown in March, the library was averaging 1,000 visitors a day. Parking spaces were at a premium and the library initiated off-site parking with shuttle service when it came to highly popular events such as those with a “Harry Potter” theme.

But that all was turned upside down by the pandemic.

As LaRoux notes, the library had made outreach a priority with the aim of building traffic at the central library on Sandy Lane as well as the branch libraries in Apponaug, Norwood and Conimicut. The Central Library became the place for community meetings, whether it was the board of a sports league, a neighborhood looking to learn more from a developer about plans to covert the former Benny’s at Wilde’s Corner into a Dave’s Fresh Marketplace, or a citywide reception to the exposition of Warwick Public School art.

With the pandemic, the effort has been turned around to reaching people of all ages, from children to senior citizens, in their homes with programs to entertain, educate and engage them.

With the gradual reopening of the central library – the branches remain closed for now – LaRoux is seeing fewer curbside pickups.

“A lot of people want to get out again,” he said. But by no stretch has the traffic returned. The library is now seeing about 300 visitors daily. Some things have gone in a new direction LaRoux would not have thought possible six months ago. Zoom meetings are popular, as are kids’ stories online and Universal Class, programs offering training in a wide range of activities. Universal Class participation went from a few hundred to thousands, LaRoux said. Pursuing the thirst for online offerings, the library allocated $9,000 from its media budget to acquire Scholastic Books with the thought it would buttress remote learning for students.

LaRoux is hopeful of reopening the popular Children’s Library soon with strict adherence mask wearing, distancing and time limits. As an example of the staff’s innovation, he points out how children’s librarian Ellen O’Brien came to him with the idea of using the Idea Studio, which has separate exterior doors, as a place for kids and their parents to select books. The staff has also come up with some fun twists such as the dragon egg hunt this week.

He said that deputy director Jana Stevenson did a lot with the COVID transition.

The library is currently open 50 hours a week, down 18 hours from where it was before the pandemic. The state requirement for Warwick, which is based on population, is 64 hours. The governor waived the requirement because of COVID-19.

During the pandemic with the help of OSHEAN, which provided all the funding, the library augmented its Wi-Fi signal, giving those in the parking lot internet access. The intent is to give parents and students, who may not have home service, access to the internet, LaRoux explained.

In a release, Carter said LaRoux “credits the library staff for Warwick Public Library offering the friendliest service and being the most technologically advanced public library in the state. The staff knows the drill and works hard to provide customer-friendly service.”

In an interview Tuesday, she called LaRoux a “leader” in the library community and said his insight and experience will be missed. She said the trustees have started the process of searching for LaRoux’s successor and that they will be advertising the post. Carter hopes the job will be filled by the end of the year. Qualifications for the position include a master’s degree and a minimum of eight years in library administration.

LaRoux oversees a budget of $3 million. He is paid $114,219.

An East Providence resident, LaRoux said he hadn’t planned on retiring, but for personal and family reasons he feels it is the right time. He’s not sure what he’ll do with the newfound time. He doubts traveling is in the immediate future given the situation.