by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Jacksonville Public Library Deputy Director Carolyn Shehee Williams has come a long way in terms of her career as a librarian and administrator but the geographical change is barely worth mentioning. She can look out the window of her office on the south side of the Main Library and see the former Haydon Burns Public Library. That’s where she got her first job in the field 28 years ago.
In between she managed several branch libraries before being named second-in-command of the entire system.
One thing Williams has learned is that there’s always something new.
“The variety of my job is what makes it interesting,” she said. “I know there will be a challenge every day. I like solving puzzles, making the pieces fit and finding a resolution that’s right.”
As deputy director Williams has a wide range of responsibilities that cover every department and discipline in the library system. No two days are exactly alike, she added.
The biggest difference in the library business since her first day on the job is how technology has changed the way information is distributed and received. The Internet has become a fixture in how people seek knowledge and entertainment through reading. The media involved has also changed quite a bit. Vinyl record albums and 16 mm films have been replaced by CDs and DVDs as the format of choice for library customers whose tastes in borrowing materials go beyond traditional books. That being said, however, Williams doesn’t foresee the day when people won’t turn the pages.
“These days our customers demand instant access, but I believe there will always be books. They are the old-world foundation that everything is built on,” she said.
Having spent her entire professional career with JPL, Williams had to pause for several seconds when asked what career she might have chosen if she hadn’t been a librarian.
“I think I might have been an interior decorator or designer,” she decided.
One of her tasks when the Downtown library moved into its new home about five years ago was to help select the color schemes, carpet, fabrics, furniture and fixtures for each department and the administrative offices.
“Everywhere I go in this magnificent building I see something I contributed,” said Williams. “My heart is here in the Main Library.”
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