Retiring UWSP librarian experienced technological growth first hand

After 30 years of various roles and responsibilities, a University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point librarian will retire in May and see her job replaced by four new positions. 

Patricia Paul, an associate professor in the University Library, has played several essential roles in the library's development since she began working there in 1969. She was able to view firsthand the growth of computers from the ground up. 

"I've enjoyed working with computers," she said, "watching the evolution of using a single terminal to using a library automation system. As far as keeping up with technology, there is always something to do and more things to add." 

Paul's career began in the role of library cataloger, which she did using card stock and a Xerox machine. Her first job was to expedite the process of reclassing all of the materials from the Dewey Decimal System to the Library of Congress system. She then became head of the cataloging department and in 1979, used a computer for the first time to enter catalog data. 

In 1985 she became the library automation manager, preparing library materials for the automation system that would be used for the first time mid-1988. All the records and titles had to be converted into a machine-readable format, which became a 10-year project. 

Paul then became the coordinator of information services and in 1994, took a position as both the information technology librarian and collection development librarian. In these roles, she not only provides technical support for staff computers as the library network services, but also coordinates and develops the library's collection within its budget. 

She was the first on campus to teach a course on the Internet, providing students with tools to use the Web for research and evaluation of sources. She also taught a class on effective use of the University Library. 

She also recently created and managed the electronic reserve files on the Web, which are only available to students and instructors. During the two-year project she scanned in documents and added them to the system's database. 

Paul added that she could not take all the credit for the work she has done, as she had many helpers through the years from library staff to students.

One of her most memorable experiences was during the time that the staff had the job of bar coding all of its materials. To keep spirits up and lighten the load, a committee planned activities and refreshments for the staff during the two-week job. Paul remembers having a lot of fun while doing a monotonous task. 

Paul says she has much to catch up on during her retirement, from reading and needlework to finishing her doctoral degree in educational administration at UW-Madison, for which she is currently working on a dissertation. She and her husband, Bill, a retired UWSP archivist and associate professor emeritus of history, have not yet made solid plans for their time together. 

Before coming to UWSP, Paul worked in a public library and in the engineering library at UW-Madison, as well as taught math at the junior high level. She has a bachelor's degree from Ohio University and two master's degrees from UW-Madison.

Courtesy UWSP News Services April 26, 2000