Librarian still going strong after 52 years
“I couldn't begin to list all of the changes in the library over the past 50-plus years,” Phyllis Henry begins when asked about all the changes she has seen the Marathon County Public Library system, where she has worked since 1954.
Well, actually, the woman who has helped Wisconsin libraries be great for a longer period of time than nearly anyone in the state can name a few changes off the top of her head, including the switch from the Gaylord check out of books to a computerized check out system. Most big adjustments for Henry have been computer-related.
“From the Gaylord check out to computerized check out was a big change,” Henry says. “From cataloging, typing the cards and filing them to doing the work on a computer was also a big change. The day we tossed out the card catalog was difficult; it was like losing your security blanket.”
Henry’s co-workers probably feel she is a security blanket herself at the Headquarters Library in Wausau (MCPL has eight other branch libraries). She is in her 21st year as a cataloger after spending 31 years working in the Children’s Department.
“I don't date back to the hand written card catalog cards, but there were still some in the catalog when I started,” Henry says.
Henry can trace her love of libraries back to her youth.
“In grade school I couldn't wait for the Bookmobile to come, and in high school I was a volunteer in the library,” she says. “The school librarian told me about the position opening in the Children's Department. This was not a job I intended to stay with, but the Children's Librarian, Florence Hensey, soon inspired me to think differently.”
Henry credits Hensey with encouraging her to take college courses in children's literature, cataloging, and storytelling. Along the way she also developed a bit of a flair for artistic creativity, creating the bulletin board displays in the Children’s Department. “Every now and then I still see something being used in that department that I made way back then,” Henry notes.
What does it take to work in a library for more than a half-century? “Love people of all ages, be friendly, be tolerant, willing to keep learning, accept changes, and have a great deal of patience,” Henry says.
Enjoying one’s work seems to help as well, and that’s what keeps Henry going.
“I always said, when the day comes that I don't look forward to coming to work, it's time to leave,” she says. “I haven't reached that point yet.”