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Hi Everyone,
I had posted Janet Steiner's obituary earlier in the week. I offer the following reflections.
Janet was SCRLC's executive director from 1980-1993, when the “R” in “SCRLC” stood for “Research” rather than “Regional.”
She and I worked together for 8 years before I left for a teaching hospital library. Change is constant for libraries, and those years were not an exception.
During Janet's time at the Council, many programs were implemented including robust continuing education, an online searching service, electronic interlibrary loan, a special contract with Cornell for resource sharing, and various automation projects, e.g., the OCLC regional union list of serials that enabled borrowers to not only know what titles a library owned, but the specific issues. Grants to member libraries also emerged during that time. SCRLC was also one of two national interlibrary loan pilot projects—Group Access—that enabled non-OCLC members to use WorldShare for resource sharing purposes.
Also in Janet’s tenure at the Council, the school library systems formed (mid-80's), corresponding Board seats were added, and categorical aid programs were launched at the State Library, including the Hospital Library Services Program (HLSP) and Coordinated Collection Development Aid (CCDA) for academics. Additionally, the Regional Bibliographic and Data Bases (RBDB) was instituted as categorical aid.
Janet was supportive and encouraging. Sometimes I felt that she had more faith in my ability to accomplish something than I did.
As we move through our careers, inevitably some directors and colleagues have more influence and impact on us than others—the ones who help shape our approach, philosophy, and even our career trajectory. These are the elements that we carry forward, beyond what we learn from individual programs or projects. Janet was one of the strong influences for me.
Yours in partnership,
Mary-Carol Lindbloom
Executive Director
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