Check It Out! Newsletter - February 2025
Featured Student Employee: Eliza Gonzalez
Eliza began working at the library during Spring semester, 2022, her sophomore year, and graduated from Willamette fall semester 2024. Coming from Houston, Texas, Eliza originally chose Willamette University because of its 3+3 BA/JD program, and because it was a small school in Oregon. Once here, however, she switched her major to Politics, Policy, Law and Ethics, which was a combination of areas that she was always interested in. Her junior year internship was at the American Council on Education (ACE) in Washington, DC, where, among other duties, she wrote policy briefs on such topics as DACA, Title IX, and mental health. During her internship at ACE, she fell in love with the Washington, DC, area and all of its interesting aspects.
Back at Willamette, Eliza’s job at the library made her feel like she was making a meaningful contribution since she enjoyed answering questions and helping people find what they needed. She feels that her time at Willamette made her a stronger communicator and gave her friendships that will last. Eliza still wants to go to law school, but is planning to take a break, and maybe move back to DC. We wish you well, Eliza, and thank you for all of your excellent work!
—Carol Drost, Associate University Librarian for Access and Technical Services
Librarian Spotlight: Gary Klein
After almost three decades of serving as the Mark O. Hatfield Library’s Management and Economics Librarian, Gary is retiring at the beginning of April. Well known for his colorful suspenders, his enthusiasm for potlucks, and his love of complicated questions, Gary has been a unique fixture at Willamette for 29 years. His tireless work on behalf of the many departments he has helped through the years as well as his excellent service on campus-wide committees such as the Honor Council, is greatly appreciated and he will be sorely missed.
Gary was born in New York to Alberta Weiss Klein and Milton Klein; Gary has a big brother (Elliot, 21 months older) and a twin brother (Bradley). Gary’s father was an engineer so he put his skills to use for his growing family and expanded the second floor of their post-WWII house by adding a large bedroom and a bathroom for the brothers to share. Privacy was apparently not a concern and indeed, the brothers were close growing up. All of the brothers were intelligent and hardworking. As teens, they all mowed lawns, shoveled snow, and had paper routes in different neighborhoods. They all studied Jewish culture and the Hebrew language at after school classes in preparation for their Bar Mitzvah celebrations.
As a youngster, Gary was a voracious reader and spent a lot of time in nearby libraries; in fact, he spent so much time in libraries, that people often thought he worked there! Libraries were a big part of Gary’s life practically forever but librarianship was not yet on the horizon for him. Gary entered college thinking to study Pharmacy but switched his area of study and received his BA in Computer Science from SUNY at Buffalo. During that time he became increasingly interested in all things related to banking and finance. He bought his first stocks at the age of 18 and invested in regional banks exclusively. Because of his persistence in pointing out a recurring problem at his own bank, Gary was offered an internship that eventually ended up in a fulltime job and a whole career.
Gary worked at the bank for 11 years being promoted several times until he was eventually promoted to Vice President of Research. He got out of that bank when the going was still good, two years before the entire bank was shut down by the FDIC. Since his banking career was always centered around gathering and analyzing all sorts of information from a wide variety of sources and with his lifetime passion for libraries, business librarianship seemed the next logical step. Gary returned to his alma mater and received his MLS from SUNY at Buffalo. He then worked several years as the Business Librarian at University of Toledo before making the big move out west where he landed at Willamette--the rest is history.
Before Gary heads off into the big adventure of retirement, we asked him a few questions:
Can you share a memorable moment or experience from your time at Willamette?
During my interview day, a number of people were very apologetic that I was not going to be meeting WU's president, Jerry Hudson as part of my busy schedule, because he was out of town for several consecutive days. Instead, I met the vice president for administration, Todd Hutton, since that is who the library reported to on the campus organizational chart. A few weeks later, after I accepted the written job offer, I was visiting campus and scouting out where I wanted to live upon moving to Salem in advance of my moving date. One of the people that I passed on campus, while dodging the sun in front of Eaton Hall said hello to me, and then asked me if I was Gary Klein. I was very startled by that query, since I had never met that person before, but as he then welcomed me to campus, and apologized for not meeting with me on my interview day, I realized that this had to be WU's president, Jerry Hudson. Funny thing was, he never gave me his name! But later that day, folks at the Hatfield Library confirmed from my description of the man, that it was indeed Dr. Hudson. It was a very warm welcoming experience that he actually made a point to recognize the face of EVERY EMPLOYEE on campus, and he tried to meet with them during their interview day.
You’re an east coast person—what surprised you the most about life on the west coast?
I was pleasantly surprised that there are a lot more acres of deciduous trees throughout the Willamette & Columbia valleys that turn all sorts of lovely colors every autumn! Prior to moving here, I presumed that 80% of all trees in the region would be evergreens. And the WU campus has a very nice variety of all sorts of vegetation of all sizes, branch spread & seasonal color shifts.
It still surprises me that even when outdoor temperatures are below the freezing point of 32F, citizens can be seen outside while shopping, walking across campus, or filling up their car's fuel tanks while wearing well insulated winter boots, fluffy warm gloves, fluffy warm vests, some sort of hat or cap, along with cargo shorts that expose their naked legs to the icy cold elements of winter.
What are you most looking forward to in retirement?
Honoring my paternal grandpa's goal of becoming more engaged as a concerned citizen of the community that I live in. After retiring, I definitely will have time to do more in that direction. I currently live less than two miles from Keizer's city hall and the Keizer Community Library. There is also a need for volunteers for various "little library" collections around town, and gardening opportunities with both the West Keizer Neighborhood Association and a community garden near the Cummings Elementary School.
With a good pair of gloves, I could spend more time gardening, both for the beauty of the colorful flowers, as well as a form of outdoor exercise and getting away from a lifetime of working in front of computer screens.
What is a fun fact about you that people may not be aware of?
I have had my moustache continuously since Memorial Day 1975 -- that was the second year that I had a part time summer job working for a bank in Buffalo.
Finally, we wanted to reflect on Gary’s career and legacy in the library profession and at Willamette, so we asked his coworkers to share some words about Gary:
I haven't gotten to work much with Gary in our short overlap at Willamette, but I appreciate how welcoming he has been! —Sarah Andyshak, Director of the Digital Learning Studio
Gary is always ready to help with exactly what you need. Since I joined the library I've never seen him too busy to sit down and search databases with me, always making time to share his knowledge and experience. His warm welcome and open nature made the library feel like home from day one. —Monika Major, Instructional Designer
Gary’s kindness, quick wit, and signature suspender outfits—always paired with a smile—have made him an unforgettable part of the library and WU community. He will be deeply missed, but his contributions and cheerful spirit will leave a lasting legacy. —Abigail Chavez, Processing Archivist
The Hatfield Library will be a completely different place when Gary Klein retires. Gary’s enthusiasm and willingness to pitch in on any level has always been appreciated. During his presentation when he interviewed for the job here, he handed out treats made by Little Debbie because he had stock in that company. I don’t remember the topic of his presentation, but I remember the treats! Best of luck to you, Gary—we will miss your energy! —Carol Drost, AUL for Access and Technical Services
Before Gary started working at the library, Toledo, Ohio never crossed my mind. It wasn't an actual place in my imagination. Over the years, with occasional stories and statistics about Toledo, Gary taught me to be curious about the place. Not curious enough to ever want to visit. But he did open a little window that I appreciate, and other little windows, like growing up in a Jewish family in New York, very far from my own experience. Gary's openness and perspectives have been a great addition to the library staff! —Mike Spalti, AUL for Systems
At professional conferences, librarians from other universities who noticed that I'm from Willamette would ask if I knew Gary. “Of course, would you like to meet him?,” I would reply. His reputation for helping other Business librarians through professional listservs made him a superstar among his colleagues, and the librarians I met at conferences were thrilled to be introduced to him.—Doreen Simonsen, Humanities and Fine Arts Librarian
I have always admired Gary's expertise with business reference questions, and will certainly miss saying to students, "That sounds like a business question. Let me introduce you to Gary. You'll love him!"
I will miss seeing his smiling face and looks of astonishment when he tells stories about Buffalo, New York, or a past family experience. I will miss Gary's colorful suspenders and his New York "Stocks Up" license plate, and I will even miss his loud sneezes that can be heard throughout the entire building. I appreciate how Gary has kept close tabs on the air flow within the building. He would pace around the library with his head cocked, listening for the low rumble of the air system.
Gary is a numbers person, so he may appreciate the following. Gary has provided roughly 340 instruction sessions to 6,500 students, 3,000 research consultations, and responded to nearly 2,900 reference questions. In total, he had touched the lives of 12,400 students, faculty, staff, and the general community. —John Repplinger, Science Librarian
When I think about Gary, I picture him bouncing up and down on his toes, and grinning wildly when he was excited about something. I so appreciate his intelligence, his enthusiasm, his interest in the world around him, his joy in community, and his kindness and compassion. —Joni Roberts, AUL for Collections, Teaching, and Research
The first thing I will always remember about Gary is that he is a genuinely caring person. In speaking to him, the care and love he had for his aging mother was evident, and his willingness to sacrifice his preferences to make sure she was well taken care of. He also consistently demonstrates his caring about his coworkers, always willing to help take a shift, offer help on a question, or just listen or check in on their welfare. The second thing is his dedication to finding the answer to any question, no matter how obscure or complex. He has always taken on such projects with a smile on his face and a genuine liking for the hunt. Third is his willingness to put his effort where his mouth is. In the time I have known him, I have admired his actual activism in causes and issues he cares about. I remember the effort he put into running for the local utility board as an example. Finally, on the fun side, I have always admired his head for trivia. If Jeopardy had a category for defunct savings and loans, I have no doubt he would be a grand champion.
In all, I admire his ability and willingness to think about and care for others. —Craig Milberg, University Librarian
—Joni Roberts, Associate University Librarian for Collections, Teaching, and Research
