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It hardly seems possible that we are coming up on the first anniversary of Walter Newsome's retirement as Regional Librarian at the University of Virginia. When we all gathered for a celebration at Barbie's home on May 23, 2003 it was an afternoon of fond memories, some sadness and well wishes to Walter and his wife on their new adventure. It seems appropriate to remember that day and all of the contributions and friends Walter made over the years. (photos by Janet Justis)
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| (UVA's memorable team: Carol Hunter, Barbie Selby, Walter Newsome and Walter's wife Carolyn ; Walter and Barbie discuss what's next) |
Although I can't say that I have actually seen it, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Jeopardy has at some point featured a category of "Famous Goodbyes" or "Trademark Sign-offs." I can think of dozens myself, some of them I thought of using here. For example I could sing about "facing the final curtain" and how "I did it my way." Or, I could harmonize, "Happy trails to you 'til we meet again" while riding figuratively off into the sunset.
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I could paint a verbal picture of myself as a stoic Bogey standing in trench coat at the end of a lonely runway watching a breath-takingly beautiful Ingrid board that plane. (Egads, I still get all misty-eyed just thinking about it!). Along with another slightly better known Walter, I could declare, "And that's the way it is Tuesday, June 24th, 2003." (Walter and his wife Carolyn) |
Perhaps the straight forward approach would suffice: "Good night, Chet. Good night, David." Maybe I should just lay it on the line and join the pig in stating the obvious, "Deha..., deha..., duha, that's all folks!"
You see my dilemma, of course. All the good ways of saying goodbye and good luck are already taken.
Besides I don't think it has really hit me yet that when I walk through the door later today I don't have to come back. At the point it does hit me I'm sure I will think of dozens of things I could have said that would serve as my very own trademark goodbye.
Perhaps the best approach is to focus on the positive and emphasize what a wild and wonderful ride we all had together.
When I was a kid reading all those great old adventure-romance novels by Stevenson, Dickens, Hugo, and Dumas I overly fantasized what it was like "way back then" and lamented along with Edwin Arlington Robinson that I wasn't born to some bygone golden age. How could I have known then that I would live the life of a librarian in what has to have been a golden age of libraries and librarianship?
And to have been a Documents Librarian throughout it all! Talk about being a seeker of buried treasure loose on some mysteriousTreasure Island! More than once, upon getting a difficult reference question, my heart shouted in the best Holmesian manner, "Come, Watson, the game's afoot!!" And we did it all with no cards in the catalog, no computers, and best of all NO Ask Jeeves or Google!
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(Documents experts: Walter and Alan Zoellner; Keith
Weimer, Mary Clark, Bruce Obenhaus and Terry Long)
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Perhaps it really isn't goodbye at all. Recently, a friend suggested that retiring was no big deal, She said of her husband, "Why, Henry has done it at least three or four times already!" Maybe I'll turn into that bad penny in the cash register of some of your lives <<wink>>. I certainly don't intend to go gently into that goodnight!
But this is it at least for now. I will end with this: May each and everyone of you, when the time comes for you too to hang it up, be able to say genuinely what I feel now: What great fun it's been. What a great bunch of guys and gals to work with! Would I do it all over again? You betcha!
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| (Keith Weimer and Maryke H. Barber; Carol Hunter, Alan Zoellner and Janet Holly) |
Walter Newsome "Retiring, GPO FDLP Regional Librarian"
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"Let me offer my thanks for all of your years of
service. Congratulations and may your retirement be filled with all of
the adventures and rest that you've wished for but never had the time
to enjoy. I know you've seen policies come and go and come and go again,
but look at it this way, you're going out on top with a new State Plan."
Janet |
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"Walter was an excellent mentor as well. I have
appreciated his sage advice and counsel and will miss referring to him
on those tough questions. I know you all will."
Carol Hunter |
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"I'm sure it goes without saying for all of us that
we wish Walter well, and will miss his leadership in Virginia. I had the
pleasure and privilege of working with Walter at Alderman for, let's just
say, lots of years. I learned most of what I know about government information
from him. I can't think of a better teacher."
Thanks, Walter Barbie |
Walter's response...
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"To echo a Mark Twain's sentiment: It really is
great to hear such kind remaks about oneself without having to wait for
the funeral. Thanks to all of you who responded personally and to govdoc-va
with comments. I will miss all of you in the gov docs community in Virginia
terribly. I know I will regret my decision once or twice along the way,
but overall I think it is the right one for me. A few years ago I told
a colleague here at UVa that if--as a young college graduate--I had sat
down and described the perfect job for me, it would have been this one,
and I actually fell into it. My grandmother really did tell me many years
ago, "If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything!"
It sure is wonderful not to "hear" a lot silence. :-)"
Walter |
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One of Barbie's first duties as the new Regional was in presenting GPO's 40 year service award to Acting University Librarian, Virginia S. O'Herron, during Old Dominion University's depository celebration. Barbie saved the day by filling in when GPO's Robin Haun-Mohamed became ill the morning of the event. But thanks to email, Robin's remarks arrived just in time and Barbie delivered them like a pro. |
Janet Justis jump started me on visiting Virginia's depository libraries by celebrating ODU's 40th anniversary as a federal depository on September 15, 2003. I took advantage of this event to visit not only ODU, but also, Norfolk Public Library and the Joint Forces Staff College Library. I visited and make it out of the Norfolk region just before Hurricane Isabel paid a visit.
Anne Davis of Norfolk Public and I had a very nice visit. She showed me their impressively long runs of many US serial titles - back to the early 20th century and beyond. As one of only two public libraries to be depository libraries in Virginia I was happy to see how busy they were, and how prominently federal information was displayed. Their business reference section, near the primary reference desk, included many government publications.
Pat Liquori of the Joint Forces Staff College gave me a much better idea of just what they and their library do. She also shared some of the challenges of selecting for a specialized collection like their's. Their imaginative displays were certainly a highlight of my visit.
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My day ended with ODU's celebration of their 40th anniversary as a federal depository library. Janet Justis and Kathryn Boone did a wonderful job in putting together displays for the celebration, aided by Audrey Amerski's large scale seals of several agencies. We will all be asking to borrow these in the future! Especially gratifying was the fact that Ed Schrock, U.S. representative from the 2nd District of Virginia, spoke at the celebration. |
I plan to visit Harvey Library at Hampton University, Chesapeake Public Library, Swem Library at William & Mary, and the William & Mary Law Library on March 31 and April 1, 2004. I hope to schedule several more visits before the end of the fiscal year, so you may be hearing from me!
Barbie Selby
UVA
I'd like to invite everyone to attend a meeting of Virginia depository librarians on June 4, 2004. We have arranged to meet in Clemons Library, next to Alderman Library on UVA's Central Grounds. T.C. Evans, Deputy Superintendent of Documents, will be the featured speaker.
Public Printer Bruce James and his staff, together with Depository Library Council, depository librarians, the GAO, and others have studied the federal government information landscape for the past year. Mr. James asked his staff to gather information and formulate some "simple truths" about government information and its future. The outcome of this information collection will presented at the Depository Library Council meeting in St. Louis. T.C. has agreed to come to Virginia to give us a similar presentation on these "simple truths." Following T.C.'s presentation I hope we will have a frank and open discussion about the "simple truths," next steps, and the future shape of the depository program.
GPO staff - Judy Russell, T.C., Robin, Gil, and others - have been trying to get to many states to have similar discussions. I'm quite sure that they will enjoy hearing our opinions, suggestions, and reactions. There will certainly be information distributed after the DLC meeting in St. Louis which you will have had an opportunity to read prior to the June 4th meeting. So, we may have some more fully thought out reactions to GPO's ideas than will be possible for the DLC attendees in St. Louis.
Many of you may know that T.C. is married to Andrea Sevetson of Census Bureau fame. I told T.C. that we'd love to hear from Andrea as well if she could get away to join us.
I apologize to those of you attending SLA. I know that June 4 wasn't a good date for you. I gave GPO several dates and this was the one that seemed to work best.
I'll be sending out more information a bit later. Please mark your calendars for June 4, and plan to join us. Please let me know if you think you will be able to attend this meeting.
Thanks, Barbie Selby
Dear .......Library Director
Walter Newsome retired from University of Virginia Library after serving as Federal Regional Documents Librarian for 30 years. I would like to officially introduce myself as the new Federal Regional Librarian for Virginia. I assumed my new responsibilities in late September. As one of the 34 federal depository libraries in Virginia, your library is an important resource for providing the public with information from and about our government. It will be my pleasure to work with you and your government information coordinator to strengthen ties among Virginia’s depository libraries and to ensure free access to federal government information.
After serving as International and Virginia State Documents Librarian at the University of Virginia’s Alderman Library for 13 years, I spent the past six years at the UVA Law Library as Documents Librarian, and am now returning to Alderman. I have long been an active member of the Virginia Library Association’s Public Documents Forum, and of ALA Government Documents Roundtable. I am currently serving a term on the Government Printing Office Depository Library Council.
As you know, Walter Newsome laid a solid foundation for both the Regional Depository Library and for cooperation among depository libraries within the Commonwealth with such initiatives as GOVDOC-VA, automated Needs and Offers lists, and the “State Plan for Federal Depository Libraries in Virginia.” My goal is to continue and build on such initiatives. I plan to do this in a number of ways:
· Continue annual or biennial workshops for all Virginia depository libraries
· Visit each Virginia federal depository library at least once every three years
· Attend the VLA Annual Conference and other state-wide conferences
· Encourage networking among Virginia depository libraries via govdoc-va, regional workshops, VLA meetings, etc.
· Contact Virginia federal depository libraries via letters such as this, email, and phone calls
· Consult with depository librarians on matters such as collections, interpretations of GPO rules, discards, etc.
I want particularly to highlight my intention to visit each Virginia depository library every three years. Let me assure you that this is not due to any perceived deficiency on the part of any Virginia depository library. The Government Printing Office encourages its Regional Depository Librarians to visit selective depositories in their respective states to foster networking, better understand needs, consult on aspects of depository policy, and generally gain an appreciation for each depository library. These visits should help me do a better job, and more effectively connect Virginia depositories to one another.
Public Printer Bruce James is rapidly moving GPO toward a primarily digital depository program. GPO is working with Depository Library Council, ALA GODORT, the Association of Research Libraries, library vendors, university libraries, and others on a variety of initiatives to prepare the program for its digital future.
· Encourage pilot projects like the University of Arizona Library’s Electronic Depository
· Authenticate “official” federal digital information, via PKI or other means
· Define, identify, track, and preserve internet “versions” of information
· Establish a GPOAccess mirror site or sites
· Ensure future funding for GPO and the depository program
· Expand and improve GPOAccess
· Provide federal depository libraries tools for tracking use of digital collections
· Partner with depository libraries to provide value added government information through projects like “Browse Topics” and “Documents Data Miner”
· Preserve, digitize, and catalog the “Legacy Collection” of government information
· Visit federal depository libraries
· Establish GPO consultants around the country
While not exhaustive, this list of proposed or existing projects represents the scope of GPO’s vision. Virginia libraries will, undoubtedly, participate and partner in many of these efforts. I encourage you to contact Judy Russell at GPO or me with further ideas.
Please encourage and support your depository library coordinator’s attendance at GPO’s Depository Library Council and Depository Library Conference. The next Council meeting is scheduled for St. Louis on April 19-21. The Conference will be held in Washington, D.C. on October 18-20, 2004. UVA will hold a workshop for Virginia federal depository libraries in early June. These meetings offer government information professionals valuable educational and networking opportunities, and the opportunity to shape future public access to federal government information.
Please contact me with your thoughts and suggestions. You can reach me at bselby@virginia.edu or (434) 924-4963. I look forward to working with you to improve access to government information in the Commonwealth.
Sincerely,
Barbie Selby
Virginia Federal Regional Librarian
editor's note : the next issue will feature "Promoting Depository
Libraries: 40th Anniversary Celebrations by Joint Forces Staff College and Old
Dominion University Libraries"
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