4 A
❘
WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ AUGUST 24, 2016
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
RYAN CRONK , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
Opinion
E XTRAORDINARY P EOPLE
Meg Spencer
C ATHERINE J. R OURKE
For the Siuslaw News
_____________
supervising collection development,
online services and database cata-
loging. She also managed the
library’s transition to radio frequen-
cy identification (RFID), an auto-
mated system using microchips for
book circulation.
“One thing I really enjoy about
library work is upholding the art of
storytelling,” she said, referring to
favorite raconteurs like Mark Twain
and Garrison Keillor. “It’s important
to continue that tradition in the digi-
tal era.”
Meg’s passion led her to become
city liaison to the Timpanogos
Storytelling Festival, the largest
event of its kind in the West held in
Orem each year. There, in collabora-
tion with the Orem Public Library,
she helped to promote language and
literacy in schools and storytelling
for the next generation.
Meg has some storytelling of her
own to share about her move to
Oregon in 2013. While she had visit-
ed Florence as a teen with her grand-
parents, Meg never planned to leave
her Utah library job when her par-
ents decided to retire here. Then one
day she stumbled upon a vacancy for
the Siuslaw Public Library District.
“I was always interested in rural
librarianship,” she said. “The more I
learned about this library district and
the quality of its collection, the more
impressed I became. People actually
move here because of this library.”
L
ibraries hold a magnetic
attraction for Meg Spencer.
In fact, the Siuslaw Public
Library District director traces a
connection with them back to her
earlier life in Salt Lake City.
“I’ve always been a big lover of
libraries,” she said, recalling how
she would ride her bike to that city’s
downtown library and admire its
architectural splendor. “They are
magical places where ideas are born.
I always visit libraries wherever I
go.”
But Meg never entertained the
notion of working at one. During her
college years, she became more
enthralled with the stage than the
stacks.
While pursuing her BFA in theatre
from the University of Utah’s Actor
Training Program, Meg needed a
part-time job. She laughed when her
mother suggested she work at a
library because she loved them so
much.
Meg eventually took her mother’s
advice one step further by obtaining
a master’s in library and information
science from the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Attending one of the most innova-
tive library
science pro-
“Libraries are such central institutions
grams in the
for communities. ... It’s the only place
nation gave
her the
where people of all ages and walks of life
opportunity
come for so many different needs.”
to work as
—MEG SPENCER,
an associate
SIUSLAW PUBLIC LIBRARY DIRECTOR
librarian at
the Orem
Public Library in Utah.
Meg would join them, also drawn
“I thoroughly enjoyed the chance
by the area’s natural beauty.
to work with professionals in the
“I love everything about this place
field,” she said. “The university’s
— the dunes, the coast, all of it,” she
hybrid model provided an excellent
said.
hands-on education.”
For Meg and her husband, Jared
Meg spent nearly 10 years at the
Anderson, the move to Florence rep-
Orem library as a division manager
resented “a blind leap” and, ironical-
ly, they arrived two years before her
parents. The couple met in college at
an audition in which they shared a
reading together, fell in love and
decided to share their lives together.
For them, the blind leap turned into
a clear career path. Jared now teach-
es film at Lane Community College
and previously served as a relief
postmaster for the USPS.
With a new book published in the
U.S. every 30 seconds, library direc-
tors like Meg have their work cut
out for them. But Meg notes that
there’s so much more to libraries
than just stacks of books. Instead of
making way for technology, she sees
libraries as integrating it with e-
books, audio books, DVDs, CDs,
free computer use and high-speed
Internet access. They also represent
centers for public discourse and
engagement.
“It’s an exciting time for libraries
and there’s a positive future for
them,” Meg said. “Libraries are ded-
icated to lifelong learning through
the dissemination of information in
all formats for all ages and walks of
life.”
As “hybrid” sources of print and
electronic data, libraries bridge peo-
ple with information through new
tools and technologies to facilitate
knowledge creation in their commu-
nities. With more content being pub-
lished than ever before in history, the
role of librarians as curators and ref-
erence maestros becomes even more
essential with all the information
users have to plow through. Who
else is going to catalog it all and
help us sort through the heap to find
what we need?
“Libraries are such central institu-
tions for communities,” Meg said.
“Other than grocery stores, we have
more people walk through our doors
than any other establishment. It’s the
only place where people of all ages
and walks of life come for so many
different needs. Literacy is the heart
of libraries, but we’re also a commu-
nity center that is outward-looking
and innovative.”
Under Meg’s direction the library
PHOTO BY JO BEAUDREAU
Ex Libris: Bibliophile and Siuslaw Public Library Director Meg Spencer
loves “connecting people with their next favorite book.”
has outlined a new strategic plan to
expand its services for nearly 8,000
members with a collection of
225,000 items. Another project
underway is a heritage grant from
the Lane County Cultural Coalition
to preserve and document the history
of Mapleton.
Meg is no stereotypical librarian
with her nose buried in the tomes.
Instead she can be found out in
nature on her time off exploring
beaches and old logging roads.
“We live in such an amazing place
where nature energizes us in every-
thing we do,” she said. “There’s no
better place to contemplate how to
serve our community than out in the
wild itself.”
Meg supports many community
organizations as a member of the
city’s Economic Development
Committee, the Siuslaw Vision
Keepers, Rotary, the Soroptimists,
Food Share and the Lane County
Cultural Coalition. She chairs the
Oregon Digital Library Consortium
and the annual Florence Festival of
Books.
“To me it’s all about service,” she
said. “When we all work together
we can make our community better.”
______________________
Catherine J. Rourke is an award-
winning writer, journalist and book
editor who teaches creative writing
at the Florence Regional Arts
Alliance. She may be contacted at
CJReditor@gmail.com.
LETTERS
Thank you, Florence
I would like to thank everyone for the flow-
ers and cards we received after the passing of
Kimberly Huff.
I would also like to thank everyone who
donated money to the Ada Grange Harley Huff
Sr. Scholarship Fund in memory of Kimberly
Huff, and the Ada Grange for the use of its hall.
The city of Florence has grown so big in the
last few years, but at times like this, the old
small town of Florence shows its heart and soul.
It’s a very comforting feeling to know that we
live in such a wonderful community.
Thanks again to everyone.
Richard Huff and Family
Florence
Well Mrs. Clinton, the president you want to
replace has done that several times. Where are
all the jobs? Now Mrs. Clinton wants to do the
same. Was it not Barack Obama who told us in
2008 “to keep doing the same thing expecting a
different outcome is insanity?”
Here is a clue from history. A reduction in
Clinton doesn’t
‘have our backs’
“I am going to bring the best of minds togeth-
er and there will be a decent jobs bill.” — We
heard Hillary Clinton tell a crowd in Michigan,
and the crowd cheers.
taxes will bring untold wealth to the treasury. A
higher tax reduces the wealth to the treasury.
The facts are out there, compare them, all you
have to do is research.
I would like to know how she is looking out
for the middle class when she wants to raise
taxes on the middle class. How does “I got your
L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR P OLICY
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Write to: Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com.
back” work? How does increasing your income
tax sound?
Oh yes, she wants more of your income. She
wants it, and should she get it, she will take 28
percent of your itemized deductions. A hike in
corporate tax, a hike in inheritance tax and she
wants to institute a tax on stock trade. That is a
tax on the trading of stock, and the increase of
capital gains tax.
Sounds to me like “I got your back” is the
same way the slave masters had the backs of
their slaves. Trump wants to reduce them.
Jim Selby
Florence
Our rights
The initiative process is a tool that the people
can use when the government/corporate alliance
gets too cozy — a solid argument in favor of not
allowing the Lane County Commissioners to
hamper our rights to vote on the initiatives put
forward by fellow citizens.
Tchanan Ross
Deadwood
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Pres. Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Gov. Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line 503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email:
Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
State Rep. Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email:
rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603
541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
West Lane County Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email:
Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us