"I didn't really know what I wanted to do," Fuller said about life after UC Berkeley, where she earned undergraduate degrees in political science and history, and later, her Masters in Information Science. Fuller considered law at first, and when her mother suggested she become a librarian, she thought, " 'You've got to be kidding.' "

"It turned out [Mom] was absolutely right," she said.

Fuller, now retired, began her career in 1965 by working for the county's library system as a children's librarian. After some time, she became head librarian in Saratoga for approximately one and a half years and eventually became head librarian for the county library.

What made Saratoga's library stand out was the way patrons viewed the facility as a community center and a place to meet people, not just a library, Fuller said.

As the Saratoga library grew to hold a special place in Fuller's heart, community members who had an opportunity to work with her grew to admire the lady.

"She was a wonderful mentor and example and has always been a friend to me," said Dolly Barnes, head librarian in Saratoga today. Fuller was Barnes' first boss when the latter began working for the county library system in 1971.

When a recession hit in the early 1990s, the county library saw a 40 percent reduction in state funding. What followed was the formation of the Santa Clara County Library Service Area Joint Powers Authority, which Fuller helped establish. For that, she was recognized as the "Outstanding Public Administrator for 1995" by the local chapter of the American Society for Public Administrators.

"Susan was an extraordinary leader. She had the vision to decide to have her library administrative area be as lean as possible and put more emphasis on books and material ... that probably is her singular genius," said library commission chair Marcia Manzo.

Many believe that Fuller's efforts to balance the need of providing material to the public while facing a budget shortfall and her advocacy for access to information and use of the Internet led to her being named librarian of the year in 1998 by the national Library Journal.

"The library's worth fighting for. The library's there to empower us," Fuller said.

Under her guidance, the county library has also received the distinction as the best library system of its size in North America by the American Library Association.

After more than 35 years of library service, Fuller joined her husband, a former librarian in Cupertino, in retirement last fall. Fuller, who enjoys hiking, traveling, gardening and cooking, has taken up swimming five days a week.

"I'm just learning how to be retired right now," she said.

Her popularity has not waned since retiring, as suggested by the number of friendly "hello's" from staff members as Fuller made her way through Saratoga's temporary library last week.

She's already made known her intentions to be present during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new library, which is scheduled to take place this spring. And friends are delighted to have her share in the progress of the library project.

"I think she had a very clear vision of what the library may be in the 21st century," said Jim Givens, spokesman for the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries.