childhood ambition: to see the world and eat good food (so far, I’m doing a good job of both!)
first job: Reservations agent for Eastern Airlines
proudest moment: successful defense of my dissertation on the presidential library system for a PhD in Public Administration from Virginia Tech, December, 1998 (I was 51 years old!)
biggest challenge: managing 10 years of joint custody on behalf of my son. He’s 33 now, and all evidence seems to be that it was successful and worth the enormous effort it took.
inspiration: My best friend, Dr. Christie D. Vernon, a Virginia librarian, world traveler, mother of five sons, major force in the Virginia Democratic Party, and a perpetually CURIOUS person. She died in 2002, and I miss her every day.
currently reading: I just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns and have started Margot Singer’s Pale of Settlement (Flannery O’Connor prize winner)
most surprising thing about being a librarian/library leader: At the beginning, I was surprised that the stereotypes about librarians are so wrong. Now, I simply hate the stereotypes and go out of my way to avoid behaving or looking that way.
I love being a librarian because: Librarianship helps me fulfill my own curiosity. Early on it became my calling, and my commitment has long been to my profession, more than to any one institution. Being a librarian allows me to use my talents doing useful, meaningful work while making a living. It has allowed me to shine (mostly because I DON’T fit the stereotype of an introverted, rule-bound, protector of books).