 Bushing named Librarian of the Year
Mary Bushing sees herself as a human version of the interlibrary loan. As Montana State University's Information Resources Development Librarian, part of her job involves traveling to the state's rural libraries doing outreach work. It's because of this work and the work that she does at MSU, that this dynamo of an individual recently received the Sheila Cates Award for Librarian of the Year, given to a Montana librarian in recognition of outstanding leadership and accomplishment in library service. Bushing notes that MSU is committed to service and outreach in the state. To meet that goal, she helps librarians deal with the complexities of the modern library. "Often these are people without formal library training. They thought they were in a nice quiet job but instead find themselves thrust into the middle of politics, technology and finances. Our presence in these libraries makes the university very real," she said. Bushing moved to Montana in 1983 after a long association with libraries, particularly in the area of passing bond measures. It was not her intention to return to libraries. "But it wasn't long before I got back in," Bushing said. "I'm a generalist, I know a little about a lot of things. I love just about everything." She was a reference librarian in Billings and a Library Development Officer for the Montana State Library in Helena before she came to MSU in 1989 as Collection Development Officer. She received a doctorate in Adult and Higher Education from MSU in 1995. Besides the outreach work, Bushing's work at the Renne Library is one that is staggering in scope. She is responsible for the acquisition of all materials in the library. The library is currently home to over 615,000 books, 4,277 paid subscriptions, over 2 million microform pieces, over 700 CDs and over 2,000 videos. And that's not everything. "This is a huge job," said Bruce Morton, library dean. "She spends close to half our library budget." "Libraries used to operate on the principal of 'just in case,' you had something in the collection just in case someone wanted it," Bushing said. "Now it's 'just in time.' My job is to have the item on the shelf before someone asks for it." To that end, she has a close relationship with the library representatives from each department and faculty members. "We want everyone to succeed," Bushing said. "That's our job. I meet with all new tenure track faculty one on one to open up the lines of communication. I foster an atmosphere where everyone can feel free to stop by and talk about books, make suggestions for acquisitions." Bushing and Morton meet for a brown bag lunch with a different department every week during the school year to find out what's going on in that area. "We want to find out what's new with their curriculum so we can be planning for their needs. You have to be involved in the life of the university to know what people will want or need. You look at what's new in the course catalog, the Staff Bulletin. I read every publication the university puts out," Bushing said. In keeping up with what's new, Bushing has been, and continues to be, heavily involved in MSU committees. She currently serves as an ex-officio member of the Undergraduate Studies Committee, and a member of the Athletic Committee, and WISE! (Women in Science and Engineering) Advisory Committee. "I call her our 'Energizer Bunny' her energy and enthusiasm is seemingly boundless. She wears everyone else out with the amount of work she does," Morton said. Bushing believes that the future for librarians is a secure one. She notes that at one time it was thought that librarians would become obsolete in the electronic information age. "Now, with the electronic chaos and glut of information that exists, there more then ever is the need for informed, skilled guides to help locate the appropriate information," Bushing said. "It's an exciting time to be a library professional." Bushing said she is humbled by the Shiela Cates Award bestowed by her library peers. "It's nice to be respected for what you do and how you do it," Bushing said. "I thank my colleagues for all they've taught me over the years. I have the job I love. I want to stick around (and do this job) as long as I'm part of the solution." Bushing is the mother of eight adopted children. She is married to James Allard, an MSU philosophy professor. Brenda McDonald
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