A Talk with Kevin Norris, Librarian

This is an excerpt from an article in Information Update. To read more, see the issue here.

At the end of the spring semester, Kevin Norris, research and instruction librarian and, since 1992, editor of Information Update, retired from the University. Usually in the Staff Update column, Kevin interviews a member of the Weinberg Memorial Library staff. Here, he asks himself a few questions.

When did you begin working at The University of Scranton?

I was hired as a reference librarian in September 1977. Although my actual job title has changed somewhat over the years (this past year we changed from being the Reference department to being Research and Scholarly Services) and my duties have changed considerably, I am still essentially in the same position.

Libraries certainly have changed a lot since 1977, haven’t they?

Indeed they have; in fact, the only thing that has remained constant about this job is that I still work with the public: students, staff and faculty of the University and members of the community. Otherwise, the work is very different.

What was library work like when you began?

Well, the biggest difference was that in The University of Scranton Library, at least, there were no computer or online services of any kind. We did absolutely everything by hand and used only print sources. Have you ever seen the Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn movie from 1957 called “Desk Set?” Hepburn works as the head of the research department of a TV network; Tracy is sent in to update research services by introducing a computer. Although the movie is simplified, the work depicted is very similar to what we did at the reference desk in 1977.

Read more on page 8 of Information Update, here.