NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 28 number 3 - Spring 2008

Friends of the Library--President's Column, No End in Sight

By Cyma Rubin, President, Friends of the Library

All good things don't always have to come to an end. This is how I feel about my FOL presidency that ends in July. The last two years have been terrific, and the projects endorsed by the board are beginning to flourish and with no end in sight. That's a good thing.

So what was it like, being president? Classic. Lively, well-attended board meetings and a bunch of new ideas were bounced back and forth, without discussions getting too overheated. I'm not sure what I would have done if they had, since the president doesn't have a gavel, only a loud New York voice. It takes a deft hand to swing disagree to agree, without anyone figuring out how it's done. In the end, we all agreed to agree.

The American Soldier exhibition was a monumental success: 355,287 guests visited the D. H. Hill library. Amazing! It was no easy task fitting the 116 oversized photo panels into the limited wall space in the library. Yet, the accomplished library staff prepared and installed the exhibition to perfection. At the opening night ribbon cutting and reception, alumni veterans came in uniform, including an original member of the 82nd Airborne, who made his first jump in North Africa, at the start of World War II.

It took me three years to assemble, curate, and produce The American Soldier exhibition. As an alum of NC State, seeing it displayed in the library will forever be one of the highlights of my career.

After the opening of the renovated library and seeing the pleasure it affords students, the board initiated a Student Library Enrichment Fund, which eventually will help create new programs at the library. Support for the fund has come in from students and alumni because they realize that the library is becoming the home away from home.

Our initiative to bring students on the board has worked. We wanted the students' voice and now we have it. We know better what students are thinking and how we can better serve their needs. The library is here for students and faculty, but it's more than just a place to research and study. It's a wholesome environment surrounded by unique niches of art. There's the ever-changing collection of bright ceramics, discreetly displayed on shelves and countertops; the exquisitely designed showcases, often filled with the work of North Carolina artists; and the multifaceted reflections of Joy Wulke's glorious glass sculpture.

I can only laud the staff and library administrators who guided and nurtured me throughout the years. I'll miss working with them and having a voice in Focus. But I'll still be around to encourage you to visit your library and come into the light.

So you see, there is no end in sight.