2011.02.04: February 4, 2011: Turkey RPCV Linda Ballard, a 40-year employee at the University City library who has been director for the last 18 years, will retire
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2011.02.04: February 4, 2011: Turkey RPCV Linda Ballard, a 40-year employee at the University City library who has been director for the last 18 years, will retire
Turkey RPCV Linda Ballard, a 40-year employee at the University City library who has been director for the last 18 years, will retire
I'll miss the staff members I enjoy being with and the patrons whom I've come to know well over the years. I'll miss the people. But I won't be gone, really. They can bar me from the back room, but they can't keep me out of the building as a customer!
Turkey RPCV Linda Ballard, a 40-year employee at the University City library who has been director for the last 18 years, will retire
'What are you reading right now?'
Short interviews with Patrick Wall and Linda Ballard, librarians at the University City library
Patrick Wall will become director of the University City Public Library on March 1 when Linda Ballard, a 40-year employee who has been director for the last 18 years, will retire. During a recent interview, both talked about the library and reading.
Caption: Linda Ballard (front) and Patrick Wall stand in the stacks at the University City Public Library. Wall will become director of the University City Public Library March 1 when Ballard will retire. Photo: Rick Graefe
[Excerpt]
LINDA BALLARD
QUESTION: What are you reading right now?
ANSWER: "The Imperfectionists," a novel about an English language newspaper in Rome. It's a series of interconnected stories dating from the late 1950s to modern times.
Q: What's your favorite Dr. Seuss character?
A: I'm not much of a Dr. Seuss person. I'm more of a Winnie the Pooh person. My favorite character is Eeyore because he was such a little sad sack, and I'm a bit of a realist myself.
Q: What's your favorite guilty reading pleasure?
A: Stories about British royalty craziness. Don't ask me why.
Q: Do you own a Kindle?
A: I do, which is what I'm reading "The Imperfectionists" on. I got it for Christmas from my husband, who didn't realize I can't get our library's own e-books on that. You need a Barnes and Noble Nook or something similar.
Q: Do you have an unpublished novel hiding somewhere?
A: No, but I have some unpublished poetry and photos. I may play around with them when I have more time after retirement.
Q: As a kid, did you read at night under the covers?
A: Absolutely. I read everything. My absolute favorite book as a child was "Little Women." I've read it as an adult, and it holds up rather well.
Q: What's the most in late fees you ever paid to a library?
A: I have been working in libraries my whole life. I don't remember ever paying a fine. But that may change soon.
Q: What's your proudest accomplishment over your years at the University City Public Library?
A: I have two. First, we were one of the first libraries in the state to have Internet access for the public. We were one of the first 10 to have it in the 1990s, through MOREnet, the internet provider for kindergarten through 12th-grade schools, public libraries and higher ed throughout the state. Also, I'm proud of the formation of the Municipal Library Consortium with eight other libraries in St. Louis County, in which we share resources.
Q: What will you miss most about the library after you retire?
A: I'll miss the staff members I enjoy being with and the patrons whom I've come to know well over the years. I'll miss the people. But I won't be gone, really. They can bar me from the back room, but they can't keep me out of the building as a customer!
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: February, 2011; Peace Corps Turkey; Directory of Turkey RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Turkey RPCVs; Libraries; Missouri
When this story was posted in July 2011, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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Story Source: Suburban Journals
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Turkey; Libraries
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