On to the Next Chapter

When I began working at the library, I had no idea I’d spend the next thirty-two years working in this building. If I had, I’m not sure I would have believed it (or would have taken the job!) Call it fate, destiny, or pure luck—it’s not been a bad gig.

So many memories have been swirling around the past few weeks as I have experienced a number of “last times.” To paraphrase John Lennon & Paul McCartney, “there are faces I remember” and I’ve been thinking a lot about many of them—Dottie Thomas, who gave me the opportunity to become a reference librarian and showed me how to do it. Betty Vequist who supported me as a Board member during a stressful building project and continued to do so until she moved. (Betty also gave me the best advice ever: don’t finish a book you don’t like!). The three amigo architects—Vance Kelley, Dave Livingood, and Jeff Sittner—who alternately drove me nuts and were more patient than I deserved (even if they were partially responsible for my unhinged state). And, of course, my parents. I feel like this job has been a combination of their vocations—Art worked for the Social Security Administration, where he helped people, and Alberta, a children’s librarian, instilled a love of reading.

I’ve also been remembering good times (I’m blocking out the bad!) and achievements and there are a few that stick out. Former co-worker Mary Ellen Rhinehart and I were able to track down descendants of Ella Buchanan, the first director of PPL, and paved the way for Bev Clarkson to make a connection that led to the donation of Ella’s sculpture, “Genius.” I could hear Dudley Cornish’s voice in my head telling me I was (finally) using my history degrees when I discovered the tragic story of Marcia Ethelwynn Mendenhall Snedden, the young woman behind the iconic “Alice Through the Looking-Glass” painting that has graced the children’s department for decades. I’m so happy her story is now part of the library’s history. And knowing I played a role in making the library building accessible to those who had waited years to get inside to find books on their own might have been the most humbling experience of my career.

But I think the one, if not the most important, thing I did for PPL was to hire Bev Clarkson as a reference assistant. She has guided the library through some very difficult times—remember 2020?—and I’m so glad (and slightly smug) that I had the foresight to hire a superior applicant when I had that opening (though I admit I wasn’t thinking that at the time; I just needed someone who was smart, read books, and could work the hours and Bev fit the bill). Fortunately, she’s never held it against me for getting her into this situation.

As a child, I never imagined a person could make a living answering questions and leading people to the wonder of books, but am so fortunate that I fell into this world. All I’ve wanted to do is put books into the hands of readers and I’ve tried to give them what they wanted or needed, not what I thought they should read (but I’ve always been happy to give recommendations!). I know I wasn’t perfect at it, but I’ve sure enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me do that and more to champion the cause of reading and libraries.