This month the Library says goodbye and "happy retirement" to Susan Mavor and Susan Routliffe, two long-serving librarians that, combined, devoted 70 years to building and strengthening the Library's collections and services for the benefit of students, faculty, and researchers.
When reflecting upon their careers in the Library, two clear commonalities stand out. Both describe the shift to electronic communication as the biggest change they have witnessed - one that altered not only the way that they worked, but also the way the Library's collections were curated and made available. The other? A sheer delight in their jobs. Mavor and Routliffe both expressed a dazzling interest in their work.
"I am so lucky to have 
had the best job in the world for 37 years," Mavor says as her face lights up.
Mavor has held the position of Head of Special Collections since arriving in the Library in 1976. She took the collection from its very beginning, when it spanned a mere 150 linear feet of archives and several thousand rare books, to become the vast resource it is today measuring one kilometre in length of archives and over 70,000 books.
Under Mavor's leadership, the Doris Lewis Rare Book Room has become home to many of the region's most important archives that provide researchers with a window into the history of early industry and life in the area.
"It has been a privilege to work with donors, students, and faculty over the years," Mavor says when describing how rewarding it has been to collect archives, facilitate their arrangement and description, and then see them used and enjoyed by students and researchers.
"Moving forward, the focus for Special Collections will likely be on digitizing collections and making them available online," Mavor explains. "It's a natural shift from acquisitions to access."
Mavor has been an active researcher herself throughout her career. In fall of 2011 she published the book Westmount – The Tie that Binds the Twin Cities: An Illustrated History of Westmount’s 100 Years, an accomplishment that she feels serves as a perfect example of how researchers can make use of the Library's archival collections.
Currently the 2013 Edna Staebler Research Fellow, Mavor will continue her research during retirement. The Library looks forward to welcoming her back on the "other side of the desk" whenever she visits the Reading Room.
Susan Routliffe arrived at the University of Waterloo 33 years ago, starting as a Government Publications Librarian back when the Library had an entire department devoted to government materials. Since this time, Routliffe has held a variety of positions relating to collections and services and has been the Associate University Librarian for Resources and Services for the past 10 years.
"I have been fortunate to have always loved my work," Routliffe says.
Susan Routliffe with her husband Chris Redmond, also now a Waterloo retiree, at a staff 25th annivesary celebration. Photo: University of Waterloo Archives.
As a member of the Library's Executive team, Routliffe has played a key role in the Library's planning and budgeting activities and has been personally instrumental in facilitating advancements such as the shift to acquiring electronic resources and the Library's involvement in provincial and national consortiums to enable collaborative purchasing for resource licensing.
These days Routliffe's name could be synonymous with the word "copyright" on campus, as she has provided significant leadership to the university community over the past several years, advising on the rapidly evolving copyright landscape.
Those who work closely with Susan know her for her professionalism, sharp analytical thinking, and hard work ethic — but also for her wry sense of humour, generosity, and deep gratitude as she recently expressed at a coffee break held in her honour:
"At the time I was hired in the Library, there a was a popular film out entitled 'My Beautiful Laundromat." I was so appreciative of working here that when I would see the Library on my walk to work, I would think, "my beautiful library," Routliffe said. "That appreciation never changed. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to have worked at this library."
Susan's retirement plans include a trip to Europe in June that will involve a week in Florence, Italy, and a hiking tour of Southern France.
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