By Rebecca Friedman
Washington, D.C.-Imagine a librarian and you may conjure up "The Music Man's" Marian, known for her severe bun and uptight ways that only love could loosen. Or Hogwarts's Madam Pince with her withering gaze over terrified students might also come to mind.
But none of the stereotypical versions of a librarian fit Susan Adland who works in the reference area of Bender Library at American University.
Adland has been affiliated with libraries throughout D.C. since the late 1970s, but she never thought it would become her life's work.
"It was sort of a zigzag path," said Adland, who has worked in an official capacity as a reference librarian since September.
Adland studied art history in college in the late 1960s and worked and lived abroad for two years. When she couldn't find a job in the art world she moved back to the United States and began doing temp work at a law firm, working in the law library. After being offered a permanent position, Adland went to Catholic University for two years. She received her master's in library services in 1980.
Though not her original intention to get a M.L.S., Adland was not disappointed in her career move as "a master in library services has a lot of potential."
But it was during college that hints of a career in helping to manage public treasures surfaced.
During her junior year of college Adland lived in Richmond, England and interned at the Victoria and Albert Musuem-which houses some of the earliest known toys. Adland had a year's course on fine and decorative arts, the end of which she received a diploma.
That course sent her to the Netherlands for seven months interning at a museum in The Hague. There, Adland catalogued an Italian glass collection and then worked on an exhibit of 18th and 19th century watches.
As Adland described her life's path, she calmly sips on strong tea laced with French La Perruche brown sugar cubes, that come from the West Indies and are exported to France. Adland had this sugar in her tea while she lived in England, and so they are a ritual she has embraced.
"I like tea in the afternoon," she said, and not the weak herbal tea found in the United States.
Wearing a purple and green scarf from Turkey, Adland sets down her tea to swivel her chair so she can look on the Internet for the spelling of the sugar cubes. Whenever a question or new topic of conversation arises, she does the same, checking the location of an English village or a calender of events.
Adland said she loved her time in England because of everything she got to take in there. The theatre, the Royal Ballet, and the making of many friends was amazing to her. Adland found someone else who shared that love for the country as well.
"Even though we hadn't known each other that long, it was nice to share some of that love of England," says Alex Hodges, a co-worker of Adland's. Some of Hodges's family lives in Richmond, England, on the same street that Adland stayed while she lived there. Hodges and Adland had only met in August of 2008, but the two bonded over their mutual tastes of English food and teas. "We love the same biscuits , McVities. She likes the plain chocolate digestive biscuits. Also some strong tea from Marks and Spencer," said Hodges. Those are the items that Hodges brought back from his recent trip to England, for Adland.
Upon returning to the United States, in the 1980s Adland took her love of culture and worked as the film librarian for the Canadian Embassy, becoming exposed to Canadian books and authors.
"You don't realize that all these other countries and all these other nations support their arts programs," she said. "The United States does not support the arts without strings attached. We have no national theatre."
After the embassy job, Adland married and in the early 1990's had a daughter, Sara. She opted to stay home with her for six and half years while working a few days a week at the National Portrait Gallery as a docent. A docent is one who works with the public to help them understand the collections and exhibits that the museum puts on. Like at the museum in The Hague, Adland was a creator in some of the exhibits.
When her daughter Sara was in first grade, Adland went back and took a children's literature class, which led her to being a high school librarian at St. Albans School for Boys, a Washington prep school.
In 2008, "I needed a change from what I was doing," said Adland. Adland was ready to start working with older students.
Adland brings all her varied experience to bear in her position at AU.
"She has had world and cultural experience," Said Hodges. "She will be able to help us understand the bridge between high school and college transition, she has had a full career of working with different types of students."
From Adland's perspective, its the job that teaches her. "Mentally it is a challenge, " she said, "learning all these databases, responding to all these questions," said Adland.
One minute she is researching economics, another history and she must also help students with their technical questions, such as what the best keyword would be to find a book, answer phones at the reference desk, teaches class in how to use Aladdin and responds to faculty with their classroom questions.
In the Aladdin classes, Adland must show the students searching strategy, research skills and basic introduction to the program. The variety is good for Adland who likes to keep her brain going. "I like the variety of kids too. I love it."
Adland "helps with the glazed eyes," laughed Hodges. He said she can connect with people very easily.
"She is a good librarian because she has a lot of intellectual curiosity and a real interest in what students are working on. This makes helping them so much easier and the quality of a reference librarian's work really shows under these circumstances. She also has a real interest in students as people and often carries on good conversation with them, which is endearing," said Patricia West, Adland's boss.
Although Adland is new to the AU community, Hodges said he feels he can learn from her.
"I think she's got an innate capability to make learning fun. She's lived in Washington, she's lived in other countries and she's had a lot of life experience."
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