Lending a helping hand (and a good book to read)
Looking back over her 32-year career at the University of Regina, Margaret Hammond holds many fond memories of her colleagues, of the challenges and successes of the institution’s early growth, of exciting career opportunities, and, well, of bats visiting the University library.
“I was never bored,” she emphasizes. “I was given a lot of interesting experiences that I never would have had otherwise and that’s one of the reasons why I contribute.”
Since Margaret retired from the U of R in 1998, she has been donating to the University each year – to the Archer Library, the College Avenue Campus renewal project, and students – wherever there is the most need.
A fledgling university
On September 6, 1966, Margaret joined the institution as the head of reference and public services in the main library, which was renamed the Dr. John Archer Library and Archives in 1999 in honour of the University’s first president who described it as the “spiritual heart of the University.”
“In 1966, the existing library was on the second floor of the classroom building,” Margaret recalls. “We gradually started moving into the new building as classes were starting in the fall of 1967.”
The official opening of the building took place October 14, 1967 – without all the books. “If you look carefully at some of the photos, you can see empty stacks because they hadn’t moved all the books over,” says Margaret. “At the time, there were so many stacks to be filled and so much space. As the years went on though, we had to go through the collection and remove duplicates. How times have changed.”
International exchange and opportunities for career growth
Margaret witnessed the University of Regina grow from being the Regina Campus of the University of Saskatchewan, where she started her bachelor’s degree in arts and formed lifelong friendships, to an independent university in 1974. Only a decade later in 1984, she even advanced to the role of University Librarian for an interim period.
“When the U of R was growing, there was a great recruiting of staff by Dr. Riddell,” Margaret says, referring to the esteemed first principal of the Regina Campus and key negotiator, Dr. William A. Riddell, who helped lead the independence of the University of Regina. “A couple of my faculty contemporaries were from England and came to work here. Within a very brief time they ended up holding positions that they knew they’d never attain at a British university.”
Soon enough Margaret found herself sent to the other side of the pond, as well, to source books from Blackwell’s, a wholesale book dealer in Oxford, England. “I was supposedly the ‘walking catalogue’ to pick out the books that I thought we needed, and I knew the areas we were interested in.”
When nature moves indoors
Not all the new changes happening at the library were welcome ones.
“One morning the cataloguing staff were filing the cards in the card catalogue, as they did every day, and I heard an almighty shriek!” says Margaret. This was before the card catalogue system for tracking books and other information was digitized and moved to computers.
“The staff member had seen a bat hanging over the pull of a card catalogue drawer – she was scared and the bat was scared,” she explains. “There was a prof at the university studying bats so he brought us a special bat catcher netting on a long handle. Well, every time the bats started flying around I just went into my office and closed the office door!”
The close of a chapter
On June 30, 1998, Margaret retired after more than three decades with the U of R. “The University offered an early retirement package, which allowed new staff to come in,” says Margaret.
Margaret still keeps in touch with some of the people she used to work with. “We started a coffee group, past staff from the Library, who gather once a month.”
What rises to the forefront of Margaret’s mind now is the importance of giving back to your community, even if what you have seems only very little.
“After I left, I started giving,” she explains. “Why wouldn’t I? I had a lot of interesting life experiences and opportunities there. And the University always has needs for growth and assistance with helping students.”
Learn more about giving to the Dr. John Archer Library and Archives
True to her profession as a librarian, Margaret has a list of must-reads to learn more about the University of Regina – or just for fun. Look for As One Who Serves: The Making of the University of Regina by Dr. James Pitsula and Burying Ariel by Regina’s own novelist Gail Bowen at your local bookstore or library.
Banner photo credit: Elsa Johnston.