Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — Lynn Baird worked her first library job as an undergraduate student at University of Pacific, putting labels on the spines of books.
It was there and by attending a conference with the university's librarians that she became inspired to begin a career in library sciences -- a path that has led her to being selected as this year's Librarian of the Year by the Idaho Library Association.
"That's just so overwhelming," said Baird, dean of university libraries at the University of Idaho.
Baird said it is an honor to be selected for the recognition out of all of Idaho's qualified librarians and to be singled out is "just such a special feeling." Baird, along with some of her librarians, will attend the awards ceremony and banquet Thursday at Boise State University.
The California native has spent much of her career at UI, holding various positions within technical, public and access services before becoming associate dean of library services in 2005 and dean in 2007. Baird said it was the library experience she gained in school that helped secure her hiring at UI.
Baird submitted various job applications as an undergraduate at University of Pacific in Stockton, Calif., and was hired at the school's library to prep the books for checkout. She was later invited by the university's librarians to attend a California Library Association conference at Disneyland, where she was able to listen to personal stories that resonated with her.
One woman spoke about prisoners' rights and how inmates were able to use library services to go back to school while in custody. Another person spoke about literacy for United States residents who don't speak English.
Listening to the various personal stories helped her understand how libraries can be the cornerstone to building a community and she found that really important. Information is powerful, she said, and being a librarian is an opportunity to enable people to change their lives.
"Libraries actually provide opportunities for people to be successful," she said.
Her supervisor, Erwin "Burgy" Burmeister, who was also a mentor to her, suggested she look at library sciences. Baird graduated with a bachelor's degree in liberal arts in 1972, and as suggested, went on to earn a master's degree in library sciences from the University of Oregon in 1974.
While earning her master's degree, Baird worked as a janitor at the Eugene Monastery School and did a project in the school's library. She also worked in the university's circulation department before graduating and being hired at UI for a temporary job in the catalog department.
Baird said she was hired at UI during a time when there were very few library positions available and, unlike many of her classmates, she was able to get a job right after graduation because she had experience. She stayed at UI for a few reasons, including her husband, Dennis, who started work at UI's library on the same day as her.
The couple were married in 1976 and have one daughter, Julia, 32, who recently married her husband, Scott Brown. Baird said Julia and Scott are expecting their first child at the beginning of next year. Dennis, who has since retired, was the head social sciences librarian when they met.
Baird began working in technical services, which includes cataloging, acquisitions and serials, before moving into the public services and became the head of access services in 1994. She has been able to work with student employees, the library's front desk, circulation, reserve collections and interlibrary loan services.
Her time at UI has also provided her with opportunities to work with librarians statewide and on a number of projects that she said may not have been an option in other states.
"I've been pretty much involved with working with Idaho's libraries on a statewide level for a number of years," Baird said.
She has been an active member of the Idaho Library Association, a volunteer organization of librarians in Idaho, since the late 1970s. Baird has also worked with the Idaho Commission for Libraries and serves on the Libraries Linking Idaho steering committee. Libraries Linking Idaho is a state-funded library sharing database that allows all Idaho residents to have access to library services.
Baird said all of the work she's done throughout the years, including with international organizations, has been to help advance libraries in a way that everyone has access and an opportunity to gain knowledge. She believes working with other library organizations will strengthen those efforts.
Removing the barriers that prevent anyone from accessing that knowledge is what Baird enjoys about her job. She said watching people learn is one of her favorite aspects because it's different than someone else knowing a fact and relaying that information.
"It's very exciting because it's your own personal discovery," she said.
___
Information from: Lewiston Tribune, http://www.lmtribune.com
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
