Stories

 

I have always loved stories. They have taken me on great adventures, helped me to discover things, introduced me to friends, and helped me to learn about myself. If there is one thing that I know for sure, it is that stories are important.

We all have a story to tell. Mine has always included books and stories, so it is not surprising that my career has revolved around the places where stories live — libraries! My story has also been strongly connected to West Virginia Wesleyan College, where I attended my very first graduation ceremony (Dad’s) when I was just six months old, and where I came every year to Annual Conference as a preacher’s kid. Then Youth Conference, and ultimately to college — where I studied libraries. To my great surprise, I came back again twenty-five years after I graduated to teach and to be the Director of Library Services.

West Virginia Wesleyan is somewhat of a family tradition. My grandfather, both parents, both sisters, one brother-in-law, husband, and both of our children, and a neice all are part of The Orange Line. We all share a common history, and I grew up hearing about all of the great leaders and professors. The stories of Ralph C. Brown, George Glauner, Thomas Haught, Lewis Chrisman, Nellie Wilson, Helen Stockert, Florence Schaper, Cecelia Alexander, and Roy McCuskey are part of the fabric of my life. But, sadly, many of those stories are being lost to new generations. As Maya Angelou tells us, “We are who we are because they were who they were.” We should know their stories,  and we should honor and celebrate them.

So, as of this fall, I will be retiring from library administration and will be focusing on exploring and sharing those stories. The staff and students have heard me say a million times that what librarians do is to Collect-Organize-Preserve-and Share. That is my theme. In the past decade, we have made a great start in collecting items from college history, and Brett Miller has been hard at work organizing and preserving them. But, finding the time to share the stories has been hard. Now we have the materials that I need to do more of it! And, now I will be able to spend time enjoying what the library has to offer instead of just working hard to make sure that we have resources for others.

The great news is that I will still be able to teach some courses each semester, including a First Year Seminar (The Legacy of Dreamers and Giants) which is focused on this very topic, and that will allow me to continue and expand the sharing. In fact, I will be participating in an Institute at the Library of Congress all next week to learn more about how to teach with primary source materials!  And, next May I will be leading a 12 day May Term trip to study about how libraries and museums collect-organize-preserve-and share cultural heritage. Students will be going, of course, but I would be happy to include faculty, librarians, and others who may be interested. There are still spots open (http://www.efcollegestudytours.com/professors-trip/1921530YT).

In addition to my new Professor Emerita title, I have been given the title of College Historian. I’ll be able to apply for some grants, and to coordinate my dream project: an online encyclopedia of WVWC History. This is something that I have been  working on for fun (yes, I really think it is fun!!!) in the evenings, on weekends, and over breaks for several years now.

Retirement, for me, doesn’t quite seem to mean what a lot of people think it means. To me it means a new chapter, an opportunity to do things that I haven’t had time to do, and a great deal of fun.  I have enjoyed the entire journey, and the stories of everyone I have worked with and taught. Now, as it says in Psalm 91, I will sing a new song. Be listening for some stories about the amazing people who have walked where we walk. And, as Natalie Sleeth (wife of former WVWC Alumnus and President, Ronald Sleeth) wrote in her Hymn of Promise: From the past will come the future, what it holds a mystery!