Pictured (left to right) are Marcia Elving, Diane van Naerssen, and Elaine Kushmaul. Not shown, but also a member of the Collections Committee, is Patti Rea.
Meet Robson Library’s Collections Committee
Joan Muyskens Pursley
Among our library’s many volunteers are four women who not only work the desk, but also manage our collections. Marcia Elving, Elaine Kushmaul, Patricia (Patti) Rea, and Diane van Naerssen work many hours a week processing new donations, updating and maintaining the database, and culling and weeding materials. They also update the volunteers’ Policy and Procedures Manual as needed, manage our storage space, put out seasonal books and puzzles, and do general troubleshooting. Each brings special talents to these tasks, not the least of which is their knowledge of literature.
Marcia worked for eight years at the elementary education level, most directly with computers, she says. “My library-related activities during that time were almost always related to the use of technology. I also worked for five years providing technology classes and support to educators, librarians, and their support staff.” In addition to her technical skills, Marcia, who joined the Library Board this year, brings welcome artistic skills to our library. For instance, she created the RR Library bookmarks given away during Library Week and the delightful lighthouse centerpieces for the Volunteers Luncheon.
Elaine worked in the health field for 25 years, but during the last four of those years, she attended graduate school towards a master’s degree in library information services. “With that degree,” she says, “I became a librarian doing education, collection development, and reference work in a community college in Charlotte, N.C.” After retiring in 2015, she and her husband Richard moved to Robson Ranch to be closer to family. “I still love library work, and I soon found a volunteer spot working in our community library,” says Elaine, a past member of the Library Board.
Patti has lived at Robson for 10 years and has volunteered at the library for five. Her interest in librarianship began, she says, “when I volunteered at my children’s high school and enjoyed helping with research projects and encouraging reading other than for class.” She attended TWU’s Master of Library Science program after her youngest child started college. During that time, she also worked at the Austin College library. When her husband’s job took them to a small town in Mississippi, Patti got a job as a librarian at the local public library. Then, after a move to South Bend, she worked at Davenport University South Bend until she and her husband retired and moved back to Texas. Patti’s hobbies include stained glass, knitting, games, puzzles, and, of course, reading.
Diane has been volunteering in our library for about a decade, working at the desk and doing the tasks handled by the Collections Committee. She began her professional career in book publishing, first at Scribner’s and later at Harper Books. Diane earned a master’s degree in library information services at UNT and went on to work in a number of public libraries. She and her husband Fred both serve on the RR Library Board.
For more on our library and on Friends of the Library, visit www.RobsonLibrary.org.
Fill in the blank titles on these books with your donations!
End-of-Year Donations to Purchase New Books
Dianna Lucas
Good news! The RR Library is getting new computers, funded by the Friends of the Library (FOL). Thanks also go to the HOA for using their buying power to make the purchase less expensive. Even better news is that new shelving will soon be installed in the library, also funded by the generosity of the members of the Friends of the Library. This addition to our library is long-awaited and much needed.
What we hope will be more good news is still to come. And you can help make it happen! Just make an end-of-the-year donation, and we’ll dedicate it to buying new books for the RR Library. After all, we need to fill those new shelves we’re adding.
Has the supply chain shortage got you worried about the availability of gifts this holiday season? Well, worry no more. Just make a donation to our library in a special person’s name. Any donation over $25 will be acknowledged with a bookplate in a newly purchased book.
Since the Friends of the Library is a 501(c)(3), all donations are tax deductible. Even if you take the standard deduction, you can also take a charitable deduction. If requested, a receipt for tax purposes will be sent to your email address. Donations may be deposited in the FOL drop box on the checkout counter of our RR Library. Please do not leave cash, but rather, a check or use our GroupWorks account. Make sure to attach to your donation your name, email address, and the name of the individual you are honoring (if applicable).
Members of our board are working on making it possible for you to enjoy the convenience of making your donations and paying your FOL dues with your credit card. This will be done through your GroupWorks account. Look for more information about this development in HOA emails, on the HOA message board, and in GroupWorks.
If you agree that the library is important to our community, please help assure its longevity and vitality by joining FOL now. Please make your $10 annual membership check payable to “Friends of the Library-Robson Ranch” and deposit it in the drop box in the library. Thank you!