Beth Marie - A Remembrance

Beth Marie started her job as Library Consultant in the Library Development office of the State Library in April 2007 – but soon it seemed like she had been part of the State Library for years.  We had known her through her excellent work with the Central Iowa Library Service Area, and were very excited when she accepted the job offer from the State Library.  She was so knowledgeable, so professional, and so personable when she started her State Library position that she was ‘part of the family’ immediately.

 
Beth Marie was a joy to work with.  Her beautiful smile, her straightforward approach to questions and problems, her ability to come up with a humorous remark at just the right moment – all these qualities made her a wonderful colleague.  And she was such a quick study!  She mastered the complexity of the e-rate program, the quirks and strengths of various databases, and the intricacies of figuring school library survey data percentiles without so much as a blink.

To me, the phrase that most aptly describes Beth Marie is servant leader.  It was always clear that Beth Marie’s goal was to better serve others, not to draw attention to herself.  The abundant messages from Iowa librarians to Beth Marie’s family following her death are a testament to the number of lives she touched.  She made us all better librarians - and better people.

Mary Wegner
State Librarian
November 2007

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