Provide yourself a teacher and acquire yourself a friend. Mentor: Someone whose hindsight can become your foresight. *
On the eve of the first game of baseball's World Series (Go, Boston Red Sox!) I would like to pay tribute to someone who, if we had a Library World Series, would definitely be in the starting line- up, and would be a serious candidate for the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award. Helene Tuchman, long-time AJL member, retired this past Spring from her position as Librarian of the Rabbi Marshall R. Lifson Library at Temple Emanuel, Newton, MA. Before those fourteen years at Temple Emanuel, she was the Director of the Watertown, MA public library, Librarian of Congregation Mishkan Tefila, Chestnut Hill, MA, and, Librarian at the NY Public Library in the Bronx in all, 45 years of enriching the library profession. In May of this year, Temple Emanuel paid tribute to Helene as part of a lovely Shabbat morning service that several of us from the New England Chapter (NEAJL) attended. Given Helene's many years of participation in AJL, I would like to engage in what I like to call lashon ha-tov speaking well of someone - in celebration and appreciation of her. IN HONOR OF HELENE You know how sometimes you don't know enough about something to even look into it? Helene has helped me, and many of us in New England and beyond, in this area. Long before the Internet, Helene told me about the Boston Regional Library network, something I knew nothing about. This has clearly been the gift that keeps on giving, with free access to several databases, not to mention hundreds of colleagues all over Greater Boston and beyond. Several weeks ago I was notified by this network about a literary database that my patrons were entitled to use. I forwarded info about this resource to our clergy and staff, and one of the clergy responded with, "This is fantastic!" Thanks, Helene, for helping me to look good at my job! You know how you're always looking for ways to economize, but, you really think there's nothing else you can possibly do? Several years ago, Helene started a user group for those of us subscribing to software from the same company (Follet, previously Sagebrush, before that - Winnebago). This group began locally and Helene gradually expanded it beyond New England, with all of its members paying a discounted annual support fee. Thanks, Helene, for saving my institution money! (Which also makes me look good, btw** ) You know how sometimes you have sensitive situations with co-workers or colleagues, and you need someone, who you completely trust, to chat with about it? Thanks, Helene, for lending an ear on many occasions, and helping me sort through and defuse some potentially sticky situations! And, you know how, when you're planning a convention, you need to have on your committee people with experience, intelligence, and, most importantly, a good relationship with the local kosher caterer? Thanks, Helene, for making sure we all ate very well in Cambridge at the 2006 convention! I could go on and on, as I'm sure many of you could. And, I know Helene has not retired from AJL (she is still running the Jewish Libraries Follet User Group) and I'm sure she will continue to help out in many other ways. So, on behalf of all of us, particularly in NEAJL, but I will presume to speak for all of AJL : For all that has been, and in anticipation of what will be: THANKS, HELENE! Ann Abrams President, NEAJL Librarian, Temple Israel, Boston <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Sources for quotations: Joshua ben Perahiah, Pirke Avot; Thinkexist.com (author unknown) / ** By the way Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
