My interests in visual resources cross into many different arenas, for example, conservation and preservation of photographic images, professional publications (I co-edit Visual Resources and write articles for this and other journals), electronic imaging (in projects like Academic Press's Image Directory) and data standards (I recently participated in the RLG/VRA VISION project testing the workability of core categories for data exchange described at http://www.oberlin.edu/~art/vra/vision.html).

In my spare time I am an active gold- and silversmith and a charter member of G.E.M. (Guild of Eugene Metalsmiths). My work has been included in the UOMA's The Artful Box (1997) and The Artful Clock (1998) fundraisers. Examples of my work can be seen at my "after hours" website at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/csundt. I am represented by Gallery Goldsmiths, located in Galleria III, in Houston, Texas.

I also enjoy traveling. Being married to an Argentine-born architectural historian who specializes in Medieval architecture in the south of France and who also has ties to the Pacific Islands through teaching and research, I have been to many interesting places with him. My most exciting adventure was seeing the stone monuments on Easter Island (view some of Richard's wonderful photographic documentation at http://libweb.uoregon.edu/aaa/vrc/demo/i.html). I found the most serene landscapes in New Zealand and Austria and the most nerve-wracking driving in England. We made our third trip to Argentina in March and can't wait to plan number four.

November 1998

I've been at the University of Oregon since January 1997. I came here directly out of library school and have very much enjoyed working in such a friendly and invigorating environment. This job challenges me and allows me to take on new responsibilities on a frequent basis. Before I even arrived at the UO, I asked Alice Allen (who had just accepted a position at the University of Missouri in Columbia, where I went to Library School) what I could expect here. I remember what she told me as if it were yesterday, "They work their reference librarians hard there, very hard; but there's no other place that will allow you as much responsibility and experience like Eugene will."

And it's true. I've enjoyed a myraid of responsibilities in the 22 months I've been here: teaching workshops and a credit course, collection development and subject specialist for Psychology and Sociology, working at the reference desk and interacting with new people everyday, designing and creating webpages, co-editing the Oregon Library Association's newsletter, The Hotline, with Colleen Bell, and maintaining the OLA's website with her as well. I've attended a number of conferences, presented at some, and am always proud to represent the University of Oregon Library System, to be a part of this vitalizing front runner.

I have many interests outside the library as well. In fact, finding a balance between all the things I love to do and the time to do them in is quite a challenge. Let's see... I am a runner and usually train for and run one marathon a year as well as shorter races. Running is my daily meditation and it allows me to imprint the place in which I live in my geographical psyche, to feel connected to the land and to know it intimately. I love to read (don't we all?) and usually have two or three books going. Currently I'm engaged with "In Search of the Miraculous" by P. D. Uspenskii (hey, that rhymes!) and "Really the Blues" by Milton Mezzrow (second reading - fantastic book). I'm passionate about music, *especially* the music of Tom Waits. I have two daughters, Marly and Keelin, and we often speak to each other in TW lines. This delights me to no end. Growing up next to the ocean, I grew up body surfing; therefore, I have a special affinity to the sea and travel there occasionaly, just to sit there and think. Finally, I love taking roadtrips. I'll pack the girls up and we'll hit the road for a week, stopping in off-the-beaten-track Diners, watching the sun set over an unfamiliar mountain range, only to light up the sky 450 miles later. And you know we're singing to Tom the whole way through.

Anyway, that's me. I am happy here, love Eugene, enjoy my work and life in general.

December 1998

A picture of me (in a deer-in-the-headlights pose captured by Tim Klaasen for the MLK Jr. web site) (Wish I would have combed my eyebrows!)

I am a frustrated musician who grew up in a family of musicians and musician wanna-bes. Both my brothers played brass instruments, and my dad played oboe in the local symphony. (We could always tell when he had a solo, as his head, which was crew-cut back in the aerospace industry days, would turn bright red. "Oh look," my brother would say, "Dad's got a solo!" Needless to say, my mom never thought that was funny!) My mom and her sisters learned to play the piano in the Depression by playing a cardboard keyboard -- then getting a chance to try it out at their weekly piano lessons on a real keyboard. But they were especially known for their rendition of "Three Itty Fishes" at family get-togethers, complete with choreography!

I started piano lessons when I was 8 years old -- and had one terrible summer of violin when I was 12 -- and entered college as a piano major. Although my playing never really shone, I love music and sang in the Acapella Choir at CSULB, with such cohorts as Richard and Karen Carpenter. (You really didn't think I wouldn't drop names in this, did you?)

I started working in libraries in my last year as an undergrad, having rarely set foot in libraries before that. (Music majors seldom did papers -- and we all winged them anyway!) I ran the listening area of the library, which fast became the Media Services Department. (What a nightmare! Keeping track of videos and making sure machines played for classes was enough to send me home with murderous thoughts!) While working, I worked on a credential to teach elementary school, but never finished student teaching. I then thought, I can't beat them, so I'll join them, and got my masters in musicology, with the express plan to get an MLS and join the world of real careers! Library school at UCLA was really fun (I know, what a nerd!) and made me decide that I had found my niche.

My niche led me to a three-and-a-half year gig at Temple University as the audio librarian and running an audio center. I lived in Media, Pennsylvania when I got there, and was known as the Audio Librarian from Media. This job led me back to this coast for the music librarian job here, which I took in 1983. I also worked as the women's studies librarian, in part (I think) because I was the last woman librarian hired at the time.

I've been lucky to work in two departments (Reference and Music Services) and to work with some wonderful cohorts. I'm especially lucky to have had some good people to share the Music Services area, such as Chingling Reed, Darrel Kau, and Deanne DuFresne (subject of a previous profile!)

My out-of-work passions include gardening (for which I have a new plot of land to work in that my husband and I carefully hardscaped last summer in anticipation of next spring's planting). My husband is one of my other passions. I also occasionally play the piano (mostly for fun) and like to cook.

December 1998

The first thing I ought to point out is that I (Lara Nesselroad) and Rebecca Fisher, who also works in Circulation, are in fact different humans. For some reason that neither of us understands, we are mistaken for each other A LOT, both by patrons and by various library staff. We don't get it, since I am about 4 inches taller, and I wear Ducks stuff and she wears (gasp) Beavs stuff, and I have kids and she has pets -- the list could go on. Anyway, I am not Rebecca.

I have been working at the library, in Circulation, since September of 1987. This means I am in the midst of my twelfth year here, although the first four were while I was a student. I know 11 years and change is nothing compared to some of these 30-year types, but considering I am 28, it is a pretty healthy chunk of my life so far.

I have, as I said above, kids: Spencer is six and Graham just turned three. They take most of my available energy. In case you are dying to know about cute kid stories, I have a somewhat up-to-date list of the best of my kids' quotes. I also have a big orange cat named Warner, who is reaching the crochety middle-aged stage of cat life. He has been remarkably patient with my kids -- he is still having to put up with being lifted around the middle, ears flat, tail dragging, especially by the little guy. My husband, Peter Bellerby, stays home with the kids during the day and works various jobs here and there in the evenings for extra income. We know this isn't the way June and Ward did things, but since my job has the insurance and the steady hours, it works for us.

Some things we like to do include watching Star Trek and the X-Files; and going to Ducks sports events (specifically women's basketball, which we have been watching long enough to see it go from being something we had because Title IX said so, to being a really exciting sport to watch; and football, which, well, if you don't know, at this point that probably means you really don't care, so I won't go on). I also have interests different from Pete's: I was a literature major, and between that and the fact that I continue to work in a library, you could probably reasonably extrapolate that I read. I almost always have a book with me, a practice which has served me well in doctor's offices and on buses. My collection isn't as big as Deanne DuFresne's, but it's still pretty impressive, probably numbering over a thousand (it's been a while since I took the time to count). I bake cookies, tarts, cakes, breads -- but not pies (somehow, I just can't bake a decent pie). I cook, too, although Pete turns up his nose at many of my creations. His loss. My kids and I also like to take walks to the supermarket -- that mile-and-a-half round trip is perfect for tiring out active little imps!

At work, I have recently become a union steward, a position I was initially a bit reluctant to assume but which I have found has some satisfying moments. I spent two years on the Classified Staff Training and Development Advisory Committee (say that three times fast--go!), and before that two years on the campus Childcare and Family Support Committee. Committees can be frustrating when things move slowly, but out of these have come things like the Olum Center (daycare); fall and spring meetings between classified staff and the President; a fledgling mentoring/training program for all staff; and the recent pilot New Horizons software training program. At work in my department, I have been hard at work getting electronic reserves off the ground (we are now at an altitude of about 2 feet, I think); and I manage the 30 or so students who work in Circ/Reserves. I and my peers create the reserve collection anew four times a year, and then dismantle it again at the end of each term. I spend a few hours a day doing direct patron service, which I find rewarding more often than not, at the Circulation desk. And I help maintain the Circulation department's internal web site, which we use as a manual that we continually update.

January 1999

Dan grew up in Connecticut in the '50s and '60s, attending Catholic schools, churches, and, in the company of his mother, meetings and rallies of various political extremists. While not necessarily buying into everything he heard, Dan was nonetheless influenced sufficiently to alarm most other members of his family; consequently he was quietly packed off to a small, liberal arts "gentleman's college" -- Washington and Lee University, the "Shrine of the South", where Confederate generals and horses are buried, and where once a year they hold a Rebel officer's ball.

Hating mint juleps and states' rights ideologies, the Army, and Rebel yells, Dan didn't quite fit in there, although by some as yet unexplained miracle, he managed to graduate with a degree in Political Science before he flunked out.

In a fit of juvenile rage, twisted pique, and a frantic desire to escape a looming personal entanglement back in Connecticut, Dan fled into the U.S. Navy for four years, where he discovered that although it was about as unpleasant as college, it was much harder to get out of and still not have a prison record or a mental health notation, although there were some close calls....

Despite all this, he managed to meet and marry an officer who'd graduated with an M.A. in English Lit. from the U of O. Immediately after escaping the clutches of the Navy, he and his wife moved to Oregon -- he to get an M.A. in History (which he'd always considered a much more "legitimate" subject than Poli. Sci.), and his wife, Frances, to obtain her Ph.D. (Victorian Literature). They produced one daughter, Elizabeth, now 22, who is about to graduate from the U of O with a double B.A. in Chemistry and French (both of which Dan considers to be as legitimate as History or Literature).

Dan began working in the Knight Library in October, 1986. He continues to work on an assignment which he gave his seventh and eighth grades when he taught parochial school. The assignment? Rewrite the legend of Faustus, but this time update it to the 20th century and use a computer. Someday -- who knows? He may actually finish it, which would make him the only person in that class to have done so.

January, 1999

I was born to search. It all began back at Ohio State University Library, where I rose through the ranks from student assistant to carrel checker, to staff searcher. This progression describes my 1970s in Ohio, as I finally saved up enough money by 1979 to buy a blue Dodge van, toss all my records, guitars, and memories into the ample cargo bay and drive away from the land of the wind-chill factor. The search was on. I headed south to New Orleans to see my cousin, west to Sedona, Arizona (T-shirt weather in January -- nice), through San Diego, and north to Eugene, Oregon. I knew a library worker from Ohio who had settled here, and really only came to visit on my way to Portland. I've been here (mostly) for 20 years now.

Interestingly, I am a searcher again. Since December 1992, I have been the Search and Fines/Bills clerk at the Science Library, at the University of Oregon. But I took the long way around to reach this destination. I finished my Journalism degree at the U of O in 1982, and even did a stint as a student assistant at the Knight Library (Main Library in those days) Circulation desk for a few quarters. But the 1980s in Eugene were lean times for this Midwest immigrant. I worked as a cabinet maker, upholstery apprentice, forest and pipeline labor hand, Lane County Park caretaker, and catering dept. worker at the Lane County Fairgrounds, to name a few. By 1990, the low wages and rising rents forced me out of the cycle of despair, and I headed for the promise of the last refuge of the Boomers, Seattle. And I'm glad I did.

Within the first 48 hours, I landed a job in a medical products warehouse two blocks from the Space Needle, where I would work for 2 1/2 years. I paid off my VISA, got health insurance, and most importantly, met my wife to be, Julie. We were married in the Spring of 1991, and by the Summer of 1992, we felt ready to give Oregon one more try. Seattle gave us the chance to take another shot at the dream we both held, a little house, on rural land, maybe even in Lane County. To bring this mini-biography full circle, we moved to Corvallis, put in a lot of applications, and I landed a job at Hewlett-Packard. Just when I was getting used to the job there, I got this job interview at the Science Library at the U of O. I couldn't resist the idea of trying to get back to library work, so I gave it a shot. As fate would have it, I started working here just before Christmas in 1992.

Against all odds, we were able to buy a little bungalow in Lowell, on about 1/3 of an acre with a million dollar view looking east up the valley of the Middle Fork of the Willamette, toward Oakridge. And the icing on our cake came in the form of our daughter, Cassidy Rose, born in the Summer of 1995. Julie is an artist and craft vendor at Saturday and Holiday Market (she makes copper garden art lately), and Cassidy is working on becoming a dancer-singer-ice skater, and when she has any extra time, she is my favorite photography subject.

This brings us up to the present era, dutifully paying off the mortgage, joyfully raising our little girl, and enjoying life and the friendship of folks I've known a long time. My hobbies include playing music (guitar mostly) with my friends, home recording, gardening (especially pepper plants), photography, and collecting Pink Floyd concert photographs from the old days (pre-1980). I plan to put my own photos on a soon to be developed web site, which will be a winter project. Who knows what the future will bring, but I am not searching for that any longer. Just for books.

February 1999

I suppose it's pretty confusing to have two people with the same name working in the UO Library system. I'm the "other" Barbara Butler and I've worked at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) Library in Charleston for nearly seven years. This is an exciting time for the marine laboratory as we are building a new library which should be completed in March or April.

I am an active member of both IAMSLIC (International Association of Aquatic and Marine Science Library and Information Centers) and the Special Libraries Association. I am the sole employee of the OIMB Library and therefore a jack-of-all-trades, doing periodical check-in, reference, circulation, shelving, and I've even learned how to tie the "bindery knot" for bundling journal issues. My husband and I enjoy living on the Oregon coast and take every possible opportunity to hike, ski or kayak (flat water for me, white water for him). Our two-year-old border collie/blue heeler cross "Rhett" accompanies us on most outings. If you are in the Coos Bay or Charleston area please stop by to see the OIMB Library -- I'll be happy to give you a tour of the marine laboratory. Until then, you can see a glimpse of OIMB at our web site.

February 1999

Ok, so just who is this Debi Baker person? Well, I'm Pacific Northwest born and raised, primarily an Oregonian who was born in Seattle. A bit of a strange twist, but so is life! After spending the first 5 years of my life pretending to be a Washingtonian, my parents realized Oregon was the place where I belonged, and moved. Of course, the fact that Interstate 5 was going to travel through where our house was currently sitting may have provided a bit of impetus.

I grew up in the Cottage Grove/London area attending almost every local grade school they had to offer. We lived in a variety of places, most of them with plenty of land so we could raise animals and a garden. Neither diversion holds much interest for me any longer.

In due time, marriage came along and the requisite 2.5 children. Actually 2 boys but at times it felt like more! Our younger son has special needs which took up a great deal of time. The boys did actually grow up and leave home. Well, they left home and are continuing to grow up! They are 25 and 22. We lost their father right after they left home, about 5 years ago.

Life began again and square dancing called me back to its safe fold. This is where our family had spent many Friday or Saturday evenings. The boys would play with their toys, complete their homework or play in an unused area of the hall while their parents danced. We were always within sight so we could supervise them.

In assisting with the dance lessons, I met a student who was learning the patterns. We hit it off and in due time marriage came again. We share many of the same interests which include indoor and outdoor activities. Inside we enjoy our individual computers, books, music, dancing. I also enjoy needlecrafts (crochet and cross stitch) and he paints (acrylic & oil). Outside we like to pan for gold, shoot, putter in the flower garden, and head to the beach.

We have a couple of 4-legged children now. Mr. Snowball and Serendipity. Add them to the 4 human children and you can have a menagerie. Yes, I'm now a "wicked step-mother" depending on to whom you speak. Don's daughter thinks I'm wonderful and his son still acts as though he is on another planet. Luckily they are both on their own and married so it doesn't impact us much except on interaction with the grandchildren.

It has been my privilege to work for Orbis 18 months now, since August of 1997. In addition to my regular duties, our union membership elected me to represent them as Steward and as a delegate to the Lane County Labor Council. I also serve the University community at large on a couple of different University-wide Committees.

March 1999

I am Susan Storch, and I have been the University Archivist since November 1997, although I have been working in University Archives since October 1996. I spent the first several months of my time here in basements beneath the dormitories, often emerging quite dirty. I prefer to be clean, by the way, in case anyone was wondering. Previously I was the Project Archivist for Tobacco Control at the University of California, San Francisco and before that I was an archivist on the Human Radiation Experiments team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. So, I had seen my share of documentation on the evil doings of government and industry, and dirty vbasements didn't frighten me at all.

In my personal life, I am mother to Max, who is 8 months old and very charming, and I am married to Michael Manga, who is on the faculty of the Geological Sciences Department. Michael and Max and I like to babble at each other and pull hair when we are together and not reading copious amounts of books. Since becoming a Mom, I have discovered that I can read up to ten books at a single sitting, and I have memorized at least five. According to Max, I can also sing, but I think he needs to tune his ears.

Michael and I are new transplants to Oregon and relatively new to the West Coast. We spend a great deal of time hiking and enjoying the outdoors in the mountains and on the coast, while supposedly doing geological vfieldwork. Max has also been on a number of these trips and is looking forward to the summer when he will take many more. When I get time for myself, I like to read, garden or exercise. I also enjoy baking, and I usually make chocolate cake without any flour because you can put in more chocolate that way.

March 1999

I was born in Goldendale, Washington and lived in Wishram, a railroad town on the Columbia River for my first few years and in the Pacific Northwest the rest of the time.

I have always loved books and libraries and have worked in them for most of my life -- from 6th grade until now. I have been very fortunate to work in a variety of settings -- circulation, reference, computer searching, technical services, and for the last 23 1/2 years in Interlibrary Loans. My professional experience started 8 years before ILL in the Science Library. Actually, when I began at UO, science materials were where the Oregon Collection and Special Collections are now. I was fortunate to help move the collection to their present location which was both an education and adventure.

Libraries continue to be exhilarating places to work -- with continual changes along with fun and interesting people to work with. When I started we thought it was great to get an electric typewriter with one of those balls that went round and round. Now if we don't have an upgraded computer every year or so we feel behind. In ILL we have embraced computers and most of our requests are received electronically. OCLC has written about our ILL service several times. We hit 3 of the coveted million ILL records and used the new ILL Direct so much that OCLC featured the library in their annual report. We are also close to the time when we will be able to receive electronic files from other libraries and then send those files on to our patrons. As Orbis grows we see our requests for books get smaller and soon we hope to offer patron initiated requesting for periodical articles.

Outside of work I love to cheer the Ducks on in football (going to the Rosebowl was a dream come true) and basketball, travel to fun places, go out to eat with my family, worship at Eugene Friends Church, and read. My latest interest is women detective stories. My husband recently retired after 31 years as a teacher and principal in Springfield and is busy making sure the house and my clothes are clean and that I am well fed. People keep asking me when I am going to retire. Why would I want to do that when I finally have a house-husband after all these years? My two sons are busy at the other end of work experience. One (Jesse) is at his last term at Western Oregon University and the other (Justin) is just starting a new job at Thurston High School. We are very proud of both of them.

Other interesting things I do: walk/jog 4 mornings a week with Aimee Yogi, collect duck beanie babies, use lots of coupons when I shop, and treat my ILL staff to pizza once a term.

April 1999

The question I'm most often asked about my job is not "what do you do", but "how were you trained to do it?". The answer is pretty much a culmination of my personal and professional life's experience.

As far back as I can remember, my best friends seemed to be paper, scissors, tape, and glue, which are the basic materials needed to make a blank book. Of course it also takes a vision or idea to fill the pages with substance, but that's another topic. Anyway, I spent most of the early part of my life involved in my little creative pursuits, which kept me happily occupied for hours. As for my academic career, I always seemed to excel in art classes, so when it came time for higher education, my liberal arts studies led to a bachelors degree in Fine Arts at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

I launched into my lucrative library career shortly after graduating from college, when I realized that there was little financial security in the life of an artist, especially when the motivation for creativity was dependent on "making it". So, I got a job at the Santa Barbara Public Library in 1975. I have since worked in four other libraries doing everything from Interlibrary Loan to Bookmobile Driver. Shortly after I moved to Oregon, in 1981, I started working at the Corvallis Public Library, processing materials and, when time permitted, mending the heavily-used collection, relying on my self-taught book binding skills. After awhile I had the opportunity to attend a couple of book repair workshops offered by what is now known as the Support Services Division of the Oregon Library Association. This is where I learned the difference between "quick and dirty" mending and Archival Preservation methods. It wasn't long before I was looking for other learning opportunities to expand my preservation skills and knowledge.

In 1987 I attended the UO/OSU Annual Conference where Don Etherington, an internationally renowned conservator, was the keynote speaker. Shortly thereafter I started working as a volunteer with Ross Bunnell, my predecessor. In the meantime I also got my foot in the door at UO, working as the night supervisor and binding specialist at the Science Library. In 1989, after Ross transferred to the Documents Department, I seized the opportunity I had been waiting for all these years. I finally had my dream job as a Preservation Technician! That was almost ten years ago and I'm still here. Of course my job has changed, from the days when "mending/special prep" was part of the Catalog Department, to the present Preservation Department which includes the Frank L. Beach Lab. Not only has my job gotten better, it's also gotten a lot bigger, with well over two million volumes to keep accessible for future generations.

I have been fortunate enough to have had several other opportunities to further my preservation vocation, including a three-week NEH-funded Conservation Technician Training program at the University of Washington. I also made my pilgrimage to the Preservation Mecca in Austin, Texas, to tour the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, Booklab, and the Preservation and Conservation Studies program at the University of Texas at Austin last fall. At this point in my career in Library Preservation, I am starting to focus more on disseminating the wealth of information that I have been accumulating over the years. My goal is to increase Preservation awareness among our staff and patrons, thereby taking a proactive rather than reactive approach to the growing challenge of preserving our collections. If anyone is interested in knowing more about my job, email or phone inquiries are welcomed.

April 1999

Okay, so I'm one of those ex-Californians. Let's get that out of the way. I was born in the very same hospital as Nancy Slight-Gibney (we didn't know it at the time, of course) in Whittier, CA, a small suburb of Los Angeles. I spent most of my growing-up years in Orange County, specifically, Huntington Beach, better known as "Surf City," home of the International Surfing Museum. I attended Huntington Beach High School, where you could plan on the guys disappearing in spring months to "follow the waves." I wasn't much into water, myself, which is probably just as well, as I had a propensity for near-drownings. But I always had a great tan in those days, fool that I was!

So, how did I end up in Eugene, Oregon? Well, I attended California State University, Long Beach for both my undergraduate (BA in Russian) and graduate (MA in Linguistics) degrees. It was in 1974 that I got my first job in the CSULB library as a student assistant (I think Leslie Bennett was in the Media Services Dept. there at the time). A few years later, I obtained a position as a (classified staff) Senior Library Clerk at a community college in Huntington Beach, which consisted of assignments for three years in Acquisitions, and three years in Periodicals. By the time I finished my MA in 1986 (commuting at night on LA freeways is just lovely, let me tell you), I decided I must like libraries since I had worked in them so long. So, library school looked mighty attractive as a way of combining my love of languages and culture with information. It was at that point that it occurred to me that maybe I should consider living someplace besides California (that doesn't occur to us naturally, you know). So, I took a leave of absence from my clerk job and went to University of Arizona in Tucson (Joni Gomez and I overlapped one semester there -- but didn't know it, of course), cramming my MLS coursework into 10 months (not recommended).

Shortly after graduation (1987), I was offered the job here at UO as Acquisition Librarian (it was a new faculty position in the department in addition to the department head). Well, many of you know the story of how the department head, Dana D'Andraia, resigned a week after I got here (but I didn't take it personally). It was about that time (early 1988) that the Library was doing some of its infamous reorganizing (which I've come to know and love), that resulted in the creation of the Serials Department. After six months in Tech Services, I became Personnel Librarian. The Personnel Assistant resigned the third day I was in that department (but I didn't take it personally). I see a pattern here.... But then, of course, I hired Barbara "Goddess of Everything" Butler, and life was good.

Most of my professional involvement has been with a division of the American Library Association, LAMA (Library Administration and Management Association), that has a great track record for attracting all levels of library staff interested in human resources issues. I served four years on the LAMA PAS (Personnel Administrators Section) Economic Status & Staff Welfare Committee, one year as program co-chair, and two years as committee chair. I am currently serving my second (two-year) term on the LAMA Cultural Diversity Committee, where I hope to glean information to bring back to our own library staff development program and Library Diversity Advisory Group, on which I serve ex officio.

People wonder what I do all day. Sometimes I do, too. Working with people is hard to quantify. What are the favorite parts of my job as Head of Library Personnel Services? Why, recruitments and staff development, of course! I'm always amazed when people who don't know much about my job assume I spend 99% of my time with various recruitments. Although it may seem like that at times, there are a few other details to take care of, such as payroll (although Barbara does a fantastic job at this!), labor relations, Affirmative Action issues, diversity issues, classification & compensation issues, policy development and interpretation, preparing new contracts for academics each year, and so forth. The good news is: the job varies from day to day. Which all suits me just fine!

What do I do to relax in my spare time? It took me a while to figure that one out, too, but I'll come clean. I'm a fiction writer, and have been since I was six years-old. Not published yet, of course, but I keep at it. Around 1990, I started writing romantic comedies, and had so much fun with them, that I'm now on my fifth novel of that type. I've been a member of a local professional writers' critique group since about 1990, as well, and that's been the greatest support a writer could have. I've attended local writers' conferences and have had the opportunity to meet local and national authors, agents and publishers. My favorite personal encounter involves author Craig Lesley (The Sky Fisherman, Riversong, Winterkill), who was once a high school student in my Uncle Larry's class over in Madras. You see, Uncle Larry was a pall bearer at Craig's Uncle Oscar's funeral and.... And then there was the time I babbled incoherently to Sandra Dyckstra, Amy Tan's (The Joy Luck Club) agent. And every once in a while, Mom sends me one of those awful stories I wrote in elementary school. Keeps me humble. Keeps me laughing! Great therapy. I highly recommend it.

May 1999

I live with my wife, Marianne, and stepson, Kevin. I have a daughter, Jessica, who just turned 21 and lives in New York .

I was born in Roseburg and grew up in Riddle, Oregon. With three vsisters and two brothers, I hardly had time to be lonely! My father was a jeweler, an inventor and later became an electrician. He was always building or making something around the house. I think we had the weirdest lawnmowers and house lighting in the county. Helping him, or being around while he tinkered, offered a few insights for me about things. The first is that machines are designed by people to be used, so a person should be able to use, understand and work on almost any machine. I was never a technophobe. The second insight was that just getting the job done is not necessarily the best solution. There is always a more 'elegant' (my word for it now) solution to a problem. I generally find myself asking, "what do I really want this to do?" and then, "what is the smallest, simplest system that can do it?". I like when I discover that the big complicated problem I thought I was dealing with has changed all of a sudden to something simple and manageable.

After high school, I went to Umpqua Community College in Roseburg for a year, and then moved to Eugene to go to the University of Oregon. I studied oil painting and fine art for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Then later I went back for a masters in Telecommunications and Film, the now defunct TCF department. I thought I would work in a field where my art, design and video interests would be valuable. I had no idea that I'd be doing what I am doing now.

I began working at the Knight Library as a classified employee in February of 1991 as the night manager of the Instructional Media Center. I had been a work-study employee in the IMC for a number of years, starting in 1973. So I started my job with more cumulative seniority than almost all the IMC employees. I was night manager for 6 years.

When the equipment manager, Bob Barzee, decided to take early retirement, I had to make a decision. I have always sought opportunities to be creative. Barzee's job seemed to be regular and controlled. I decided to try for the Equipment Manager job, but with the intent that I would be able to do it in a way that was best for me. I was sorry to leave OPEU, but I have enjoyed the transition to my present position. I find that I really like helping people get comfortable using the new media equipment.

The newest activities in my work have been my involvement with the Media Services Director search committee, the Grayson Hall Classroom Users group, and a campus classroom design Ad Hoc subcommittee.

Away from work, in my off-time hours, I seem to keep busy. Marianne and I bought a house almost two years ago and we're still trying to get it painted. There always seems to be something to do in the yard or inside the house. I carry my interests in computers and video home with me. For years I've had a small business/hobby doing graphic design and video projects for a few select (they usually select me) clients. My daughter was interested in theatre and tap dancing when she was young, and I ended up taping most of the shows that Musical Feet School of Tap puts on at the Hult Center and Agate Hall. I've helped a few people publish books by doing the transcribing/typing/editing/pre-press work on their project. And for a few years I videotaped every school play at North Eugene High School and Thurston High School.

I really enjoy camping and being outdoors. I'll have to fit some time in for that this summer. And someday I want to get out the oil paints again.

May 1999

April 6, 1999 marked my 1-year anniversary on-board the Knight Library staff. Leaving the Social Services arena to take the receptionist position in the Librarian's Office offered a sense of "coming home" (it was a previous occupation of mine). The position satisfies my desire to be of assistance without the heartache that often comes while serving families in need. Though my heart will always be there for families, I find I'm provided ample opportunity in my private life to "come to the aid!"

I am the proud mother of three fine budding young men, Joseph (16), Jacob (13) and Christopher (12). You can be sure that they remind me of their up-coming birthdays on a regular basis! They are a true blessing in my life and though there are times when parenting three teen-age boys seems like more than ANYONE should have to endure, I would not change a thing where they are concerned (except maybe their lack of desire to pick up after themselves!). On March 13 of this year I happily re-married Joseph's father, (my childhood sweetie & the boy next door!), after having been separated for seventeen years. It is true that life IS stranger than fiction!

When not meeting the needs of my family, I take care of myself by digging in the dirt. Though I have a difficult time relating to the dirt inside (the house), the dirt outside gives me great comfort. The sense of accomplishment and the visual beauty of seeing a garden take form is second to prayer for communion with the Lord. (Not to mention the benefits of planting edibles!) Among other interests I enjoy dancing, swimming, hiking & biking or anything else that takes me outdoors. (I was always a bit of a tomboy!) I have also been inclined to exercise my creative juices in the form of needlecraft, photography and various other crafty things. (Sometimes I just make things up!) Learning to make more time for these interests is forthcoming! I think it has something to do with youngsters who are becoming increasingly more independent!

June 1999

I've been working at the UO Libraries for over 20 years in various positions. My very first cataloging job was in the Map Library while I was a student in the library school. I later worked in the Science Library as a student and as a GTF, then spent a year as a GTF for the old Library 127 class (Use of the Library). I had intended to be a medical librarian "when I grew up", but I married a Eugene native shortly after I finished school -- and there were no medical library positions available in Eugene at the time. So then I volunteered at Sacred Heart Library cataloging medical journals.

All that cataloging helped me land my position in the Catalog Department in 1979. Jobs have a way of evolving around here, and mine is no exception. I started out cataloging mostly science books. Then I picked up the coordination of thesis microfilming and cataloging. I added audiovisual cataloging about 1983. When the department divided into cataloging teams, Marion Obar and I became the Nonbook and Western European Language Cataloging Team. We get to catalog all the fun stuff -- videos, computer files, Internet resources. Since I have specialized in this area, I've been a guest workshop leader for OCLC Pacific, training other librarians from Seattle to Los Angeles in the mysteries of video and electronic resources cataloging.

My husband and I met while skiing, and for years and years we were up in the mountains every weekend from December through March. Then four years ago, we found a new sport which began to steal some of our skiing time. It is cowboy action shooting, in which participants create personas from the late 1800s and compete in scenarios taken from old westerns or modeled on daily life situations of old West citizens. It is more fantasy than history, but the firearms we use are reproductions of weapons that were in production before 1900. My husband, our 16-year-old son and I all participate. I started out near the bottom of the score list, but last July I became the woman's state champion cowboy action shooter.

You can find out a little more about me on my web page.

June 1999

I am one of the old-timers here at the Knight Library, as I started working here in August 1982. I worked part-time for several years in the Acquisition Department, while taking classes to finish up my degree in Fine Arts (painting). I actually graduated in 1985, which seemed like a miracle, as I had begun college 25 years earlier, and then took time off to get married, put my husband (ex) through law school, and raise 2 children.

After graduating, my job turned into a full-time position, and I continued working in Acquisitions for almost 10 years. After working behind locked doors for all that time, I decided it was time to break out and transferred to work in the Reserve Room. I was only there for about a year and a half when our department was taken over by the Circulation Department, where I am now working as the Special Processes Clerk. In a way I have come full-circle, as I began my illustrious library career working in the Circulation Department at Butler Library, Columbia University, in NYC. After that I worked in the library at the University of Illinois, and then one summer worked in the Salem Public Library (Children's Department). My most fun job was working at Kraft Foods, where I started as a taster of various salad products, and then moved up to work in the laboratory, running tests on margarine.

I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I still don't know. So I continue to work in the library, at least bringing in a stable, if somewhat small, salary. I live vicariously through the exciting lives led by my two now grown-up children. Both have worked and/or traveled in several foreign countries -- my son in Spain, Mexico, Brazil, etc., and my daughter in Japan, Thailand, China, etc. The farthest I've been is Mexico (Puerta Vallarta), but I do have my passport ready and waiting for an exciting trip somewhere, sometime, in the future (maybe to visit my daughter in Japan!).

Meanwhile, I like to paint (acrylic/oil, watercolor) when I get motivated. I sell cards made from photos of my paintings. They are currently for sale at a store in Corvallis called Botticellis, and a store in Salem called "Made in Salem." Occasionally I will exhibit my paintings and have actually sold some. I love color, and I believe that is my main reason for painting. A photo of one of my paintings is attached to my web page : http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~nwloya/TEST.HTM. Be sure you capitalize the last part, and don't expect too much as this was my first attempt to make a web page.

Oh, and by the way, this week on my lunch hour I bought a condo!!!!

August, 1999

Originally born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I grew up in a small Canadian town of Penetanguishene located on the shores of Georgian Bay in Ontario. My lifelong intrigue with maps began as a child when I would navigate my family on our many road-trips. This interest of mine continued as I completed my undergraduate degree in Geography at the University of Guelph in Ontario (1991) where I began to work as a GIS cartographer for one of my professors. From this point, I continued my westward drift and found myself in Winnipeg, Manitoba where one learns to layer their garments in the winter and do battle with the mosquitoes in the summer. Although Winnipeg is considered cold even by Canadian standards, my six years in Winnipeg were fantastic! I loved jogging in the –30 degree winter through the old cathedral ruins and industrial areas of St Boniface. My time in Winnipeg furthered my cartographic development with my involvement in various mapping projects through forming my own business, Academic Mapping and most importantly, through an opportunity to spend my last two years teaching a second year cartography course at the University of Manitoba.

It was during my lectureship that I became interested in Map Librarianship. As I introduced my students to the map and atlas section of the library, I became very interested in this other aspect of maps -how and why the spatial materials were arranged as they were. Then with a simple keyword search on the OPAC using the terms "Map and Librarianship", I was lead to Larrasgarrd's text of the same name. Her book (now in its 3rd edition) is amazing from the depth of coverage to the friendliness of its prose. From here, it was a natural step to return to school and complete a MLIS degree at the University of Western Ontario in London, taking every opportunity to "spin" my studies spatially.

I enjoy hiking, biking, and running- anything to get outdoors and take in the subtle poetics of the landscape. My love of books started when I met my partner Laura during our undergraduate degrees and we started to collect books. Our collection has continued to grow over the years, which does not work well with our many moves across the continent. Of course, it includes a growing list of atlases – from academic to more idiosyncratic studies like "The Atlas of Elvis". Through my reading, I have stumbled upon another interest of mine, reading philosophy, not as a mode of study, but rather for the sheer enjoyment of listening in on the personal confessions of the authors. My real enjoyment however is found in my family- Laura and our son Kierdan who is two and a half years old and an absolute joy. His main focus about our upcoming move to Eugene is "Can we play mini-golf there daddy".

I am starting the position of MAP\GIS Librarian at the University of Oregon this September (five days from writing this). On a professional basis, I am very excited about the opportunity to work in this growing field and increase my professional knowledge in the geospatial realm. On a personal side, I am really looking forward to the complete immersion in a fantastic geographical area of North America. Laura and I have always wanted to live in the Pacific Coast region and, compared to the flatness of the Prairies and London Ontario, Oregon will be a welcomed change.

As a final thought I should note that it is true as a Canadian I learned to skate as I learned to walk and to shoot a puck as I learned to use a fork.

August 1999

This September I celebrated my eighth year of employment in the Knight Library. Although my previous library experience had only been as a patron, the work has been a good fit for me; I often tell people it's like working in a toy store or a candy shop -- the materials and information we handle give me that much pleasure. It has, however, changed the way I read. These days, I'm typically in the middle of a number of books at once, and I do a lot more browsing of texts; that is, with such a surfeit of riches, I no longer feel compelled to read every book I pick up from cover to cover.

I was originally hired to assist with retrospective conversion and general database maintenance, and though my job has changed over the years, I'm still doing basically the same stuff -- only deeper, wider, faster and more detailed. I did spend 8 months doing serials check-in half-time in addition to my regular duties (which had gone to half-time during that period) and for a few years now I have been doing some authority control work. What really has changed is the way we do the work. What with all the technological advances in our culture this decade, and in this library specifically, it's a pretty exciting time to be doing library work.

My move to Oregon from the San Francisco Bay area was made basically to enhance my family's quality of life. While I sometimes still miss the ethnic and cultural diversity of that fabulous cosmopolitan city, not to mention the adrenaline rush it can afford, I don't miss the traffic, the expense, the urban dread and the active fault line virtually in my backyard. Living in this beautiful state has renewed my appreciation of nature, and the more relaxed pace I have adopted here has allowed me to indulge my artistic pursuits, which had been atrophying in the years just before we relocated.

The difference in my work situation is pretty representative of the true-to-myself freedom I now enjoy. During the 80's I worked for Xerox, and in the last position I held, Production Supervisor, one of my duties was to enforce a very square corporate dress code. That was sheer torture for me! Sure, I like to wear a white shirt with a necktie... sometimes. Here, I can come to work in shorts, sporting a pony-tail and a purple beard, and it's equally acceptable. Truly, variety is the spice of life. And Xerox had nothing comparable to the Gonzo Revue or the Zucchini Festival.

This job also led indirectly to one of my abiding recreational activities, shapenote singing. My co-worker, Harriett Smith , was unavoidably evesdropping on my original interview with Nancy Nathanson in the pre-renovation Catalog Department. When Harriett heard about my backround in garage bands and low rent theatricals, she thought I might fit in...go figure. After I got the job, she invited me to come sing with the Eugene Sacred Harp singers, and I've been doing it ever since. My music reading skills have definitely improved, but I still can't really claim to be an accomplished musician. I am, however, a pretty enthusiastic amateur. For more than a year now, I have been a member of Accordions Anonymous. I suppose music is my main creative outlet these days, though I have been known to do performance art in Eugene with the Landfill Gardeners of Gondwanaland, and light shows for the tribal/industrial band Onomatopoeia. I also like to take photos, in which some of my habitual subjects are tombstones and vanity license plates.

I also used to write more than I do now, and in my xeroidal days made books of my scrawls and graphics. A copy of my most recent one, Obsolete Literature, was accepted into Oregon Collection and cataloged. That was a real thrill for me, believe it or not. I'm kind of embarassed, though, that it has been so long since I have put a collection of my stuff together. I think it's time for me to learn html and put up a web page.

I am the proud father of an 18 year old daughter, Sara Mercedes, whom this fall has matriculated at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where about 20% of her class is also named Sara(h). Talk about your educational experiences --- parenthood! I don't think I really grew up (if indeed I have) until I had a child. For me, it's something like the experience of writing a poem: I know I contributed somehow to her existence, but I can't really take credit for that, because she is writing herself and I have merely been an instrument of her flowering. All I can do is appreciate and learn from the beauty thus produced.

Enough. In closing, I'd just like to repeat what I inscribed in our library's copy of Obsolete Literature: "Thanks for giving me a job!"

September 1999

I have never asked anyone to do anything I wouldn't do (at least in theory), so I figured now that I am editing the LSA profiles I ought to go ahead and write mine. This is a calculated effort to seize moral high ground in the face of obstinate profile-writers.

There seem to be a few well-trodden paths people follow into the library profession. I chose the way reserved for "Realistic Academics." After two years of work towards my History PhD at the University of Illinois, I realized that finding employment as a history professor might not be as easy as I initially thought. I took a terminal MA and went to seek my fortune in Library Science, receiving my MLS from the University of Buffalo in 1998.

Prior to my journey to the west coast, I was employed as a Government Documents/Business Librarian at the University of Mississippi. I have to admit that Oxford, Mississippi was a pleasant surprise - a small town of striking beauty accented with the poverty Northerners expect from the Deep South. Trips to the Delta for blues, Memphis for soul, and New Orleans for jazz were frequent. Prior to that I was an Assistant Librarian for the Congressional Budget Office where my job was to make sure that secretaries took the correct number of newspapers in the morning. I lived in Bethesda, of which all I seem to remember are diplomatic license plates and bad Mexican food. There was a wonderful bookstore across from the shop that put new shocks on my car and I was living in a second floor apartment at $850.00/month - which thankfully included utilities.

I have been the Business Librarian at the University of Oregon for about 8 months now. Things are getting busier and busier, but I look forward to coming to work every day - my hackneyed measure of job satisfaction. I am proud to be a member of the staff of the Knight Library in an environment that keeps me on my toes - always another challenge to meet.

Like so many of my colleagues, I have diverse interests. Recently, I have been re-introducing myself to Dada and Surrealism, reading about the Cabaret Voltaire - Arp, Grosz, Duchamp, Tzara - et all. I am also a dedicated consumer of humor & the absurd - everything from Perelman to Jarry. When I have spare time, I like to read, watch b-movies and westerns, and listen to music. When I am inspired I build things. I am sporadically working on two projects- a miniature stage design for "Pere Ubu" and the "Shroud of Orlando" - a re-creation of the Shroud of Turin using Mickey Mouse as the subject. I also collect ancient coins, play the occasional round of golf, and I love Hockey.

September 1999

Susan Mincks was born on a foggy (what else?) morning in San Francisco sometime after World War II. Yes, she is a Baby Boomer. She actually lived on Haight Street in the 1960s and once had a banana split with Sonny Bono "It's a long story," she says. "But Cher hasn't spoken to me after all these years."

Susan attended San Francisco's finest public schools. She even had her own monogrammed switchblade knife with tortoiseshell handle

From her parents she inherited a love of gardening and animals. The family took weekly safaris to Golden Gate Park to feed the ducks. There were always some critters around the estate: dogs, cats, fish, birds, and, for a time, two chickens, a black one and a red one, which she cleverly named "Blackie" and "Reddie."

Susan wanted to go to Africa to study chimpanzees, but, of course, Jane Goodall had wrapped up all the grant money. This changed Susan's life. She decided to enroll at San Francisco Community College to study library technology. "It seemed like the thing to do at the time," she recalls.

Armed with an A.S. in library technology, Susan launched her checkered career. She has worked in a number of private, public, legal, and university libraries. In between she's done stints as a mail room supervisor for a law firm; a plant lady for a Eugene florist; and a 4-H secretary for the OSU Lane County Extension. "Eat your heart out, Jane Goodall," she crows.

vSusan lives in a townhouse in south Eugene with her husband and three goldfish. (Or is it three husbands and a goldfish?) She's on a first-name basis with all the cats, squirrels, and songbirds, and two or three deer in the neighborhood. She passes her time reading (Agatha Christie is her favorite author); traveling throughout Oregon; entertaining friends; dining out (she eats veal); flower arranging; and container gardening. "I'm still picking tomatoes from my balcony," she swears.

October 1999

Hi, my name is Pam DeLaittre and I have recently joined the Acquisions Dept. in the Knight Library

I come to you from the U. of O. Bookstore course book dept. where I worked for about the last 14 years. I am a Eugene native, daughter of a previous U. of O. Faculty member in the English Dept, and an alumni of the U. of O. with a BFA in Sculpture.

My family and I reside in Cottage Grove, on Hidden Spring Farm, where we raise Registered White and natural Colored Romney sheep for handspinning fleeces, hides and locker lambs. We have quite a menagerie, a guardian llama, cats, dog, sheep,and horses.

I am very happy to have joined you at this beautiful library, please stop by and meet me. I am trying hard to learn new names, Thanks, Pam

October 1999

Ferreting out little-known and hard-to-find materials requested by the law students and law faculty is one of the more challenging aspects of Stacie Jasper's job as Acquisitions Assistant in the Law Library. Stacie has been with the Law Library for seven years and worked in the Knight Library for a year prior to that. She credits the staff here with making her job a pleasant one.

Stacie has lived in Eugene nine years. Having fallen in love with the town as an undergraduate at the University of Oregon, she vowed to come back to settle someday, and that she did. After working for ten years in public libraries in California, she returned to Eugene and began working in the UO library system. She said the biggest differences between public and academic libraries are the wide variety of patrons that one deals with in public libraries and the contrast in the types of materials collected.

Although one of the most fun aspects of her current job is seeing new books when they come in to the collection, she very seldom runs across a treatise that she is tempted to take home, curl up on the couch and read. One of the most difficult aspects of her job was the move from the old building to the new Law Center.

Stacie enjoys the variety her job affords, as well as the congeniality of her co-workers. There is some investigative work involved in locating requested materials and in finding out which vendors are likely to handle particular items. Videotapes and tapes of old television shows are among the hardest things to track down. She also does the ordering of new materials and serials, as well as processing all of the invoices for payment.

When Stacie is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Joe. They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this year, and she has some interesting anecdotes on the longevity of their marriage. They return to Hawaii, where they honeymooned, for special wedding anniversaries, and they still make it a point to remember their wedding date each month. She and Joe met when she was fifteen working in her parents' music store, and Joe would come in to buy records. Stacie's father was a musician and played the clarinet; in fact his first job out of college was playing in a band on a cruise ship. Stacie's mom majored in business and worked in the family music store.

Stacie and Joe have three grown children -- all living in California -- and five grandchildren, and a cat. Their daughter and her husband were married two years ago in a traditional "Over the Anvil" ceremony -- complete with bagpipers -- in Gretna Green, Scotland. Gretna Green became known as a wedding haven as Scotland's more lenient marriage laws once attracted underage couples from England to celebrate their unions there

In her spare time, Stacie enjoys gardening, walking and reading, especially historical novels. Two of her favorite authors are Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. She also likes big Broadway musicals. She and Joe enjoy picnicking in Jasper (no relation) Park in nice weather.

Stacie certainly makes my job easier in the Law Library. She helps keep me apprised of new Oregon legal materials that I might want to order, and she double checks our requests to make sure we're not placing duplicate orders for the same item. Stacie's always pleasant disposition, attention to detail and accuracy, and her willingness to pitch in on seemingly little things make her a valued member of the Law Library family

Submitted by Stephanie Midkiff

Hi, I'm Alissa Manske, a new employee in Media Services. I was hired to implement portions of the Woody Guthrie grant project. I will also be working on promotional activities for the department, such as new brochures and informational guides for our patrons. In addition, I will be learning the Banner system…wish me luck!

As far as my life up until now…I was born in Sioux City, Iowa and lived in Wayne, Nebraska for 10 years. In 1989 my family moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for one year…quite an interesting switch from the Midwest! I learned a great deal and met many special people. After our year abroad, we moved back to Nebraska…Norfolk this time…Johnny Carson's hometown (our claim to fame). I attended Norfolk Senior High and graduated in 1996.

I attended college at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter, Minnesota where I earned a BA degree in Political Science and Environmental Studies, with an English (writing intensive) minor. I was involved in our campus environmental group…I was president for two years. I also played in the concert band for three years in percussion, mostly mallets (bells, marimba, and xylophone). I was active in intramural sports…mostly sand and inside volleyball. My interest soon turned to karaoke once I hit that illustrious age of 21!

The reason for my sudden transplant from the Midwest was…of course…a boy. My boyfriend of two years (who I attended college with in Minnesota) is a second year grad student here. I am enjoying my time here so far…but it hasn't started raining yet! I enjoy the many hiking trails and outdoor opportunities around Eugene. I live on the base of Spencer's Butte in the South Hills so I am surrounded by many trees and small woodland creatures! Otherwise, I also enjoy watching college/pro football and attending sporting events whenever possible.

October 2000

I started school at the University of Oregon in the fall of 1996. Little did I know that four years and a bachelor's degree later, I would be working in Knight Library as a Library Technician. My senior year was spent (at least employment-wise) in Interlibrary Loan, which I found to be a highly enjoyable experience. It was the time that I spent there, coupled with the fact that the money I needed for nursing school fell through, that convinced me that the library was someplace I wanted to work (at least until nursing school seemed like a real possibility again). I applied for a position in Access Services, and a few weeks later, here I was. My first day was September 1, 2000. As the Personal Materials Clerk, I am responsible for many things pertaining to reserve materials for classes each term. Mainly, I get to work with the personal books and articles that professors bring in to be put on reserve. I haven't learned all my duties yet, but I like what I have learned about the job so far.

When I'm not at work, there are several things that occupy my time. I love to read (big surprise there), and I'm addicted to All My Children, which is the very best soap opera in the world. I think if you're going to be addicted to a TV show, it should be at least something that never has reruns. I am also addicted to crocheting, which is something I picked up a few years ago. So far I've made lots of hats, lots of sample granny squares, and quite a few other odds and ends. My latest project has been designing crocheted purses (I've made 2 whole ones, plus 2 half ones - I haven't really had time to finish them yet). I also like making beaded jewelry, but that's something I need to work on before it's really spectacular.

My family and friends are really important to me. I'm very close to all of them, and consider my friends to be part of my family. So, although my nuclear family is quite small (mom, dad, and sisters Crissy and Karen), my extended family is huge, and that makes me really happy. I also have two pets - a betta (Chester McFishington) and an African violet (Sydney). I like my life here in Eugene, and I'm looking forward to some great years of service here in Knight Library.

October 2000

My name is Dorothy Jean Schell------****CORRECTION****--------my name is Dotti Schell Clegg, I live on Hoyt Street in Eugene--------*****CORRECTION*****--------I live in Cottage Grove. I am single------*****CORRECTION****-------I am married, I have no immediate family in the area***-------CORRECTION****-------I have in-laws coming out my ears now AND I'm a grandmother overnight! I have been with the Department of Public Safety for 9 years now***------CORRECTION******------I am now employed at Knight Library.

Whew! I wrote it and I'm as confused as you the readers are. As you can see my life has taken a few deviations from the main trail as of late. I was married in August of this year, moved during that period, and took a position here within the library all within three weeks…. I have been moving so fast that even the proverbial dust can't find me.

Okay, who was I before the tornado? I spent most of my youth living within the Albany area; my early education was accomplished within the area schools and correctional facilities. I have not returned to the area for many years and will not until specific police officers, judge's etc retire or die.

I was recruited to the office of public safety. My (future and current) husband was a major player in recruiting me to that department. Perhaps someday I will be able to forgive him. I worked for the DPS for 9 years. The position provided me an opportunity to explore humankind on an entirely different level than most normal people. I find it very comfortable and welcome to leave the crime busting to others at this point in my life.

As for hobbies and outside interests, I love to garden, take walks and play with my dog (Duke-black lab), a homebody, but will never pass up a weekend trip to Bandon, watch movies, and, yeah, even be a grandma. My most passionate hobby of reading murder mysteries, coupled with my new job (started September 13) in Preservation, has caused my husband to sleep much lighter of late, wonder what that's about?

November 2000

I've loved books and history for the longest time. As a kid, I read voraciously and even organized my books alphabetically by author. (Should I be admitting this?) When I was ten, in planning our family's first trip to Europe, my mom had us read up on the history of the Norman Conquest--the Bayeux Tapestry, King Harold, William the Conqueror, etc. I was hooked! I've been a medievalist ever since. (Okay, there's a special place in my heart for the history of the Pacific Northwest, too.)

I knew when I got to college (Clark College in Vancouver, WA and later the University of Portland) that I would study history and French, I just didn't know what I would do afterward. All through college I worked at the Fort Vancouver Regional Library, among other places,--starting as a page part time and working my way up to a substitute library assistant where I got to do reference work. Again, I was hooked. But, I still wasn't certain I wanted to get my MLS. So, I worked for a couple of years as an office manager for a CPA--something I decided was definitely not my cup of tea--and explored other possibilities. Eventually, I made my way to Indiana--after a summer doing some living history at Champoeg and a few months working back at FVRL. I chose IU because I could simultaneously work on an MA in medieval history and a Masters in Library Science.

In the spring of 1997, I applied for jobs all over the country, but there was one job I really wanted--a history and reference position at the University of Oregon. Could there be a more perfect job for me?! And, after several months of working, waiting, interviewing, I landed THE job! I don't think I could have asked for a better group of coworkers or a more supportive library administration. It has been great getting to explore the world of academic libraries, meeting interesting people at UO and at other institutions, and learning all sorts of new technologies, while spending money on history, romance language, and now, medieval studies books and, at the same time, being close to home.

I do have interests outside the library. I play the folk harp and the recorder--mostly Renaissance and Celtic music--I dance and sometimes sing. (I always try to do something at Gonzo.) I like to read mysteries, autobiography, and literary fiction--especially books written in an epistolary style. I like to walk and hike outdoors--around town, up Mt. Pisgah, at the beach…. I love going to the movies or to the theater. I try to make a trip down to Ashland once a year for the Shakespeare Fest. One of my favorite things to do is hang out with assorted friends and family and my cat, Inky. And I love to travel--if it's somewhere I can speak a different language, that's even better! I'm a dabbler--always willing to try new things--and that about sums me up.

December 2000

So who is this new person wandering around Knight library? I'm Stephanie Michel, the new Humanities Librarian (for English and Theatre-also known as the "New Richard"). I'm just beginning week three of this position, and everything is off to a great start. I think this is going to be a great place to work, and I look forward to getting to know all of you better.

As for my life before Eugene, I am a born and bred Northwesterner, who is happy to get back to her roots. I was raised in Vancouver, Washington (the Portland suburb, not British Columbia-where my parents still live in the same house I came home to after I was born!), and studied at Linfield College. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in French (which was a great excuse to spend a year in Rouen, France [claims to fame: Monet's cathedrals, and burning Joan of Arc at the stake]), and the conviction that libraries were where I wanted to be. As a student, I worked in Linfield College's Northup Library-the first year as a circulation student, the remaining years as Susan Whyte's assistant. Working as her assistant, I got to see what a librarian actually does, which was very different than I had initially thought. As I helped her to prepare for instruction sessions, work with adult extended-campus students, and even answer the occasional reference question, I discovered that I loved what she did, and with some training I might be good at it. So, the decision to go to library school was born.

After graduating from Linfield, I went to Indiana University in Bloomington to study library science. When I was deciding where I wanted to study, a friend said "I have a friend from Vancouver who is currently in the library science program at Indiana University. I'll give you her e-mail address." And that's how I met Heather Ward. Although we had lived within 10 miles of each other for years, we had to move half-way across the country to meet and become friends. After a year and a half, I graduated from Indiana University with a M.L.S., and the strong desire to get out of the Midwest (granted, with all its culture and good restaurants, Bloomington was better than most, but I hated being landlocked, and I can't take those weather extremes!) Immediately after graduation, the job search took me to Radford University, in Radford, Virginia. Unless you've ever lived in Virginia (and even if you have!), you may have no idea where Radford is located. Radford is in southwestern Virginia, in the heart of the Blue Ridge mountains. Blacksburg (and Virginia Tech) is nearby, with the nearest big city being Roanoke. It's beautiful country-great for hiking and being outdoors, but a bit too small (population 15,000) for my liking. I spent three years in Radford-which served as an excellent base to see much of the East coast-before accepting this position.

Outside of work, my main past time is reading (I'm looking forward to being able to visit Powell's much more often!). I also love to travel, as much as time and funds allow. I was bitten by the travel bug early-my parents loved to take the family on a day's drive or a weekend trip, and I've inherited their travelling genes. Some of my favorite trips have been: Europe (studying abroad for a year allows lots of time for travel, including much of France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic), North and South Carolina (Charleston is a neat city (even during a hurricane!), and you can't beat the fall color on the Blue Ridge Parkway), and the coast of Maine. Now that I'm living in Eugene, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to explore more of central and southern Oregon, while planning the next big trip (Scotland, I hope, though I'd also love to see Australia…). And I'm thrilled to live near an ocean again-near the water is where I belong, and the Oregon coast in particular speaks to me. Above all, I'm happy to be back in Oregon, and closer to friends and family!

February 2001

I was born April 2, 1969 in Santa Monica, California. Apparently I was accommodating from the start. My mother loves to tell me how easy my birth was. "I've had worse menstrual cramps!" she says. This mantra has become part of her propaganda scheme to promote grandkids. Fortunately I know other women and they tell me a different story.

My parents are interesting people, more so than I am. They got to know one another while working for Sister Corita Kent (artist and nun famous at the time). They were putting together a large-scale art exhibit commissioned by IBM for their New York City offices. Since the good sister chose peace as the theme while the Viet Nam War was on, IBM closed down the exhibit early.

After my folks split up, my brother (whose middle name is Peace), my father, and I lived for a time at Star Hill, a commune in the Bay Area. The way up to Star Hill afforded a nice view of what has come to be known as Silicon Valley. My father claims that one of our neighbors was Neil Young. I mainly remember the neighbors by their animals, and if he wasn't the neighbor with the goat that butted me in the head, then I don't think I met him.

Growing up I divided my time between Palo Alto and my father's various back-to-the-land homesteads near Mendocino, California. During the school year I tried to fit in with my mostly affluent and wholesome peers with moderate success. Summers I trailed after my older brother and his friends, as there were few girls my age in the tiny town of Comptche where my father lived. Sometimes my brother threw dirt clods to drive me off, but not all the time. Most of the people who lived near us grew marijuana, so sometimes there were military-style invasions of our little community and government agents would cart off a couple of our neighbors. But that was usually in the fall when I was back at school.

My mother married a cranky Stanford grad student, who has become the very gentle Buddhist physicist that my family knows as Mark. I am still very close to my father's third (former) wife, Judy, who lives in Ashland. My dad, Richard, also lives in Ashland and teaches forest management around the country. My mom, Paula, spends most of her time in Hawaii, and sometimes she calls to ask me how the weather is here.

I went to college at the University of California at Santa Cruz. The campus reminded me of my summertime home in the redwoods. Plus there was no Greek system, so I figured all the folks in high school I didn't much like wouldn't be there. After graduation I took a trip across the United States, looking at graduate schools and thinking about where I wanted to live. I ended up in Portland (I'd only seen it in the summer). From there I applied to graduate school and wound up at the University of Oregon. I am currently working endlessly, if not tirelessly, on my dissertation. I am almost done. When I am done, John Lysaker has been good enough to agree to marry me.

Birthplace: Springfield, Oregon

Education: M.Mus., UO, '93

Joined Library staff: October 1986 (student assistant 1983-86)

What I like about working in the Library: I still enjoy the collegiate atmosphere.

Family: Darlynn, my wife of 7 years

Pets: Sebastian, a 6-yr.-old Dachshund whose Bach is worse than his bite

Favorite food: Italian

Favorite movie: The Matrix

Most Interesting place visted: Victoria, BC (although I'll be visiting Kauai in June).

What I do to unwind: Listen to music

Greatest ambition: To know God better

Pet peeve: Our culture's arrogance

Quote: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13)

June 2001

I am the quintessential hometown boy. Though, I never planned it that way, it's true. Originally, I was born in Roseburg, but at four years of age my father moved my mother, my younger brother, my yet unborn sister, and me to Eugene with promise of work. Since then I have become the dedicated Eugenean. In my youth, the bygone years of the Police, Reagan, and Soviet "Evil Empire", I would praise the likes of Eugene's many local heroes. Chris Miller, Latin Berry, and Terrell Brandon I would cheer, study, and attempt to emulate on the playgrounds and streets while playing with friends. The same energy given to reenacting the feats of our great athletes, my friends and I gave to hawking insults into the spittoon known as Oregon State University. In genteel and subtle fashion that only awkward prepubescent boys can claim, we always kept the insults to proper categories: intelligence, beauty, talent, and overall appearance. God please forgive me.

Growing up in Eugene, especially from such a young age, this town's flavor began to rub off on me. The stories and legends of the late Zeus, aboriginal dweller of downtown, the constant struggles between the city's political factions to erect a new public library, and being ask if I have "ever read the funniest jokes ever told" by Frog since the age of eight, have become a permanent part of my life's origins.

I graduated from Sheldon High School, then the University, met and married my lovely and beautiful wife, and now work for the ever merciful and powerful Barbara Butler. I have traveled plenty, spending most of that time in Central and South America, but I always come back to Eugene. Not because I have ever meant to do so. No, it's probably because I just can't get enough of those hemp products at the Saturday market.

July 2001

Mark Mimnaugh has worked in Current Periodicals and Stacks for the past six years. He started as a student shelving books in 1995 and became a staff member in the same department in 2000. His favorite activity is sleeping. Other hobbies and interests include rolling his eyes, slouching, scowling, and complaining. He received a degree in General Science from the University of Oregon with minors in Chemistry, Geology, and opulent living. When not at work, you can find him tinkering on classic automobiles when not sleeping. He hopes to one day make "People Weekly's" 10 worst dressed list.

September 2001

I’m Metadata Librarian and Special Projects Team Leader at the University of Oregon Libraries. I studied archives management, in particular the management of media collections, at Simmons College in Boston. My professional experience includes stints at the WGBH Educational Foundation, Minnesota Public Radio and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

I was born in May 1973 in Portland, Maine to James Georgitis and Pam Hogan. My family has been in Maine, the state formerly known as Massachusetts, for many generations. That makes me a Mainiac. I grew up in Kennebunkport, Maine, where I worked at the Cape Arundel Golf Course during the summer. You may have seen me on the evening news. On several occasions, I caddied for the President of the United States, George H.W. Bush. That was a strange experience.

I studied English and American Literature at Brown University, where my favorite class was a survey of oral epic poetry from ancient times to the present. I learned to appreciate poetry as performance art and to regard poetry recordings as primary source documents. While at Brown, I started listening to The Phish, a band from Burlington, Vermont. I soon began recording shows and the experience I gained managing my tape collection informed my decision to become an archivist.

I also got very interested in outdoor education at Brown. During the summers, I worked for the Boy Scouts of America at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and the Charles L. Sommers High Adventure Base in Minnesota. I love to canoe and I think I would have made a good voyageur. Although I appreciate the goals of Scouting, I became disheartened by the politics of the organization and chose not to pursue a career as a Boy Scout leader. I did write my own Boy Scout light bulb joke, however, which is: How many Boy Scouts does it take to screw in a light bulb? One, but it takes him a week because he does a good turn daily.

My favorite poet is Elizabeth Bishop, who wrote perfect poems but made very few recordings. Bishop wrote a poem about a bus trip from Nova Scotia through Maine to Massachusetts called The Moose. The details in this poem, like the iron bridge that trembles and the smell of salt hay, bring to mind my childhood memories of traveling downeast to visit my grandmother, Mary Helen Wyman Georgitis, in Washington County. I recently memorized this poem in her honor.

November 2004

My love-affair with libraries began in the white duplex that backed up to the west branch of the Concord Public Library system in Massachusetts. I taught myself to read at age 4 and not long thereafter made a habit of toddling across the grass to the tiny brick building where I would gather picture-books by the armload under the supervision of our neighborhood librarians.

Years later, the main library across town continued to woo me. Ours was a household that was, in my grandmother's words, dizzying in all its activity. The echoing silence of the brick sanctuary, with its legendary ghosts of famous authors like Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau looming, was home in a way that no other place was. At the age of fifteen, I wrote my first short story in the reading room
there. I can still remember the sound of the grandfather clock ticking beside me as I worked towards the library's closing hour. Twilight glowed against the old oak-and-crimson decor, and the wheels of the cars upon the outside pavement rolled along with the characteristic sound of a
wet Massachusetts winter. Slush.

I am a poet and a writer, for better or for worse, and sometimes my life choices seem to be made just for the sake of rhythm, irony, or rhyme. Over the past few years, wanderlust drove me across the continent in a zig-zag pattern, always with a scratch pad at my side. But transience has grown tiresome and I am happy to have landed here in Eugene, at the Knight Library - the third academic library of my Access Services career.

All in all, the work here couldn't suit me any better. And so I hum a little, and smile a lot, and hope that my contentedness is contagious (as opposed to irksome). I sense the great fourth-floor picture-windows and the occasional quiet here will in time offer up the inspiration to sit long enough to compile and complete my writings into some sort of manuscript. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the process of getting to know new folks here in a new building, on a new campus, in a new town. Life is a journey and a pleasure indeed. So come say hello. And blessed be.

December 2006

I completed a B.A. in English in 1989, and was hired soon thereafter as an academic records evaluator in the UO Admissions Office, a position I was to hold for eight years. Since then I have completed an M.A. in English and M.S. in Arts Administration on lunch hours, and created the award-winning Renascence Editions [RE website], [Scholar's Bank] [RE blog] text archive originally as a class project. RE has received almost 15 million hits since 1994, not including activity on its mirror sites at University of Toronto, Sheffield Hallam University, Netlibrary, and Scholars Bank. I came to work in the Library's Document Center in 1997. Currently in my work, though I still do reference coverage, student supervision, collections maintenance and circulation duties for my department, I divide my time between building the Oregon Newspapers Index, which attracted a two-year LSTA grant for which I was co-principal investigator, and the Oregon Local Documents collections [Cities] [Counties] on Scholars Bank, which will move to a new server when Ted's new LSTA grant project for collecting state and federal electronic documents gets underway.

A homesteader by nature, I spend as much non-library time as possible with my garden and fruit trees, and also enjoy hiking and kayaking. I'm also active with several civil rights organizations.

To keep up with all things Bear, see my blog, Stony Run Farm.

February 2007.