You might say Debbie Clark grew up alongside the David L. Rice Library. The building was only six years old when the newly married 22-year old started her job as a front desk clerk in the fall of 1977. The University was not quite a teenager, and at 12 years old, was going through its first of many grown spurts. The Commission for Higher Education just endowed the University with $3.3 million for a new Health and Physical Education and Recreation Building. ISUE's Screaming Eagles basketball team, under the leadership of then coach Wayne Boultinghouse received their first invitation to play in the Great Lake Valley Conference regionals. It was a good time to be a Screaming Eagle.
From Card Catalogs to Computers
After 44 years at Rice Library, Debbie has witnessed how technology has changed the way a 21st-century library operates, from research to reserving a study room. As technology improved, Debbie relearned library operating systems four times.
She recalls not so fondly the punched cards she typed on an IBM 029 card punch machine in the basement of the then Technology Center. The stiff paper cards were processed by a computer which created lists of all the physical journal titles available to be printed for patrons. For the time, it was very high tech. "I remember our first computer. It was a large desktop PC that the entire staff shared. Certain times of the day it was for cataloging, certain times it was used for checking out books," Debbie said.
"Technology changes, but students don't; they always want to know how to use the library's printer."
From Construction to COVID-19
From life-long friendships to the explosion of growth at USI, there are many good memories for Debbie. Packing up the old Rice library and opening the new David L. Rice Library stands out as an exceptional moment in her time at USI. Groundbreaking for the new library was held June 1, 2004. Over the following two years, the staff watched the new building take shape through the windows of the library. As a member of the planning committee, Debbie was able to plan the location of where books would end up on the shelving units and oversee their eventual placement. On June 5, 2006, the library's 335,000 volumes, 5,000 media items, 500,000 microform units and 3,000 linear square feet of archival material were packed up, shrink wrapped and moved to their new location. The transfer took nine days. "It was very well-planned, but it was still stressful. Would everything fit?" Debbie recalled. Staff moved in first and unpacked. Then the books arrived. It all fit perfectly.
Another pivotal moment for Debbie was when the campus closed due to the pandemic. "I remember sitting on my office on a Saturday thinking, at the maximum, we'd be gone six weeks. I'd already made a list of things I thought I'd need. Little did I know how long I'd be gone." Debbie had access to the Rice Library security cameras from home and would look in on the library from home. When she periodically returned to the library from time to time to bring more things home, she'd walk each floor, making sure there were no surprises-no leaks, nothing was broken. And she never found any.
The library leadership team returned in July to work on preparations for reopening for the fall semester. Working with Director of Rice Library Marna Hostetler and Assistant Director Andrea Wright, they determined placement/removal of furniture, signage and how the facility was going to be used during a pandemic. While they walked from floor to floor, the only other person in the library was retired employee Jerry Bulger, hanging plexiglass in all the offices. "We came with tape measures to make sure tables and chairs were six feet apart. When our student workers returned, they helped hang signs and wrap chairs," said Debbie.
The library was conceived to be a community space on campus, the heart of campus. The heart has been stilled since March. "It's been so quiet without all the students. Before the pandemic, we had health professions students and international students who spent hours here. It was like a second home. I'd walk by and the white boards would be filled with their study notes. I hope that sense of community returns soon," said Debbie.
From Making Friends to Making a Difference
"Working at one place for 44 years, it's all about the people. Rice Library, the University, it's a good working environment full of good people."
She devoted nearly all her 44 years at Rice Library in working for the University, serving and chairing committees for Administrative Assistants and Associates, Staff Council and Administrative Senate. Her personal favorite things to facilitate were ways to recognize the work of fellow employees, from the numerous potlucks and picnics to creating ways to honor long-term employees. "Overall, the opportunities to learn, connect with a variety of people, and grow by participating in the groups, getting involved and sharing in a part of the overall growth of USI." Debbie encourages people to be involved with USI, not just work at USI.
From Mom to Mimi
Retirement will see Debbie being an on-demand "Mimi" to her four grandchildren. Looking forward to the freedom of actively participating in their childhood, she is on-call and ready to travel. She also looks forward to putting on her USI swag, sitting in the stands and supporting the Screaming Eagles.