"They had stacks of books on the stage in the cafeteria," Miller says. "I begged the administration so much that other teachers took on extra students for one class period to free me up to build the library."

Over the next three decades, with the help of the Schallenberger community, Miller created a literary collection that now spills from shelves and spreads out over adjoining classrooms in Schallenberger's media center.

"When new books come in, they're stacked on top of shelves and tables," Miller says. "There's no room for kids to work."

The overflow will finally have a home when the new media center opens at Schallenberger next fall. And the center will bear Miller's name, even though she won't be there to oversee it.

As she packs up the library's collection in preparation for the move, Miller is also packing her personal belongings in preparation for her retirement.

She's not going quietly, though. Miller is miffed that under President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" act, she's unqualified to continue as Schallenberger's literary resource teacher, despite her library science credential from San José State University.

"My credential gives me the ability to supervise libraries but not to help kids find appropriate literature," Miller says. "As a teacher I can do that, but as a librarian, I can't. I tried to fight it. But it's too late in my career to go back and get another master's degree."

Over the years Miller has kept up with technological advances in library science. She served on the committee that developed technology standards for the San Jose Unified School District and has worked to ensure that Schallenberger meets or exceeds these standards.

"Now the whole school is networked," Miller says of the 20 Apple IIEs set up in the library. "You can send out software updates from this room. We have a wireless system for teachers' laptops. It's been a big transformation watching kids use technology in new and exciting ways."

Schallenberger's new media center will house 31 computers, which students will use for Internet research. Google aside, Miller says students are still inclined to hit the books when putting together a report for class.

"The skills transfer to computers," she adds. "You have to understand key words to do a good Internet search."

Miller says the accelerated reading program she helped start at Schallenberger also inspires students to scour the library's stacks.

"Our library has enormous circulation," she says. "A lot of students check out four or five books a week. They're reading at their grade level and above, and the longer the book, the better."

In her long tenure at Schallenberger, Miller has watched generations of students come and go, including her own children.

Reflecting on her long tenure, she says, "You know it's time to retire when former students' grandchildren are coming to school. The fact that I've been at one school for 36 years is somewhat unheard of in the district, but this is a very special place."

Despite her impending retirement, Miller isn't ready to quit Schallenberger entirely.

"I did commit to getting the new media center and computer lab set up and making sure that all the technology is back in place come fall," she says. "I'll probably come back and work in some part-time capacity, however I'm needed. My heart is here, so I can't break it off that easily."