A Steady Presence: TLU’s Sherry Moltz Retires After 58 Years

You may never have seen her, but she's been there, quietly working behind the scenes to help keep Blumberg Memorial Library running smoothly. It's been almost 59 years since Sherry Moltz arrived for her first day of work at TLU-and this month, she's hanging up her key to the library, where she's spent a very full and steady career as a cataloging assistant.

"I started out just putting books together with their covers and filing their catalog cards," Moltz recalls. "Later, I had to make my own catalog cards and file them." The library's management system has changed many times since those early days, and few modern patrons even remember the old card catalog cabinets, with their tiny drawers filled with cards identifying books and periodicals.

These days, library catalog management systems are software based, and TLU's Blumberg has kept pace-and Moltz mastered every different system, learning to work within the latest software to organize, catalog, and manage not only the constantly evolving collection, but the records of the people who use the library's resources, a process that's more complicated than most people could even begin to imagine. Most recently, the library shifted from Voyager to Alma.

"It was a big transition for such a tiny team," says Technical Systems/E-Resources Librarian Nate Aubin, who learned the new system right alongside Moltz. "Moving over our whole catalog, the records for every single patron-every student, every faculty member. Every single piece of digital information had to be moved over to the new system. Even the policies for things like how long books can be checked out. Sherry did so much of it."

Aubin says that although he's happy for Moltz, who's most definitely earned her retirement, he'll miss her at the library. "She's been my neighbor for years." (Moltz's office is one door over from Aubin's.) "I'll miss our conversations. I'm going to miss her sense of humor and her stories about the library over the last 58 years. She predates this building."

You heard that right: When Moltz came to TLU, Blumberg didn't exist. The library was housed in Langner Hall. To put Moltz's tenure into perspective, archivist and author Steve Anderson '77-who presented her with a copy of his book, Forward in Faith: A History of Texas Lutheran University at a reception held in her honor-pointed out that counting all the way back to 1891, when TLU first opened its doors in Brenham, Texas, Moltz's years with the university amount to almost 44 percent of its entire existence. "Like all of you, I'm in total awe of Sherry's historic record," he said with a laugh.

When Blumberg opened its doors in 1970, Moltz was there, and remembers how students, staff, and faculty formed a book brigade of sorts-a long line across the lawn from Langner to Blumberg, and literally passed books, periodicals, and everything else, from one hand to another to move every last thing into the new building.

Another set of memories Moltz cherishes has been sharing the library with her family. "I'm lucky that my children and grandchildren have come to love books and the library as I have," she says. She looks forward to spending lots of quality time with family after she retires, doing the things she loves most-like crafting. "I have closed in my garage to make it a craft room which is an ongoing project," she says. "This is what my late daughter Janine and my granddaughter Alexis and I wanted to do. We love doing crafts."

It'll be a big change after so many years of coming in to work every day at the library. "I really didn't know I would stay this long," Moltz admits, looking back. She has, in fact, stayed longer than any other TLU employee, the next closest record being held by Professor Emerita of Music Anita Windecker, whose tenure amounted to 52 years. "I love books and the people I have worked with over the years," Moltz says. "Mark (Dibble, library director) and the rest of the gang have been very supportive of my past situations. I can't thank them enough."

"Sherry has been such a wonderful presence in the library," says Dibble. "She is very knowledgeable about how the library runs and its historical record. Sherry is kind and friendly to all the students. She is quick to laugh and always supportive. She will be missed in more ways than I can count, but especially her eye rolls when I say something silly or absurd."

Assistant Director Amelia Koford agrees. "It's hard to imagine the TLU library without Sherry! Her love for books, learning, and community is always evident. She has seen lots of technological changes in the library, but the heart of her work helping students and colleagues has never changed."

[Pictured above: Blumberg Memorial Library Staff - Director Mark Dibble, Assitant Director Amelia Koford, Cataloging Assistant Sherry Moltz, and Technical Systems/E-Resources Librarian Nate Aubin]