Throughout May 2021, Eileen adapted existing library operations to include the cataloging step. COVID was still raging, so planning and training had to be done while wearing masks and maintaining distances.
She cataloged the first book on June 22, 2021, and by August 30, 2024, she’d cataloged all 4,006 items on the library’s shelves. Achieving that milestone suggested that our vision of creating an online catalog for resident use might also be attainable. My enthusiasm was briefly dampened when Eileen decided that renting a residence was a better fit for her than owning one. She moved from Coffman on August 8 but not before assuring us that she’d help train her successor. What good fortune to have Margaret Green waiting in the wings. Much of Margaret’s career had been in educational administration, but before that she had been a cataloger for five years at Harvard’s Widener Library. With some training from Eileen, Margaret was ready to solo. And the good news just keeps on coming. Just days ago, I watched while Eileen migrated our library’s inventory into an online catalog platform. A week later, Library Committee members and residents were test-driving our catalog from their own computers. Library Committee members miss our friend Eileen Smith’s presence at Coffman every day. Always a pleasure to know and work with, she remains extraordinarily generous with her time. I know she’s as pleased with the outcome of this project as we are. Comments are closed.
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