“I’d be helpless here at the university without our library”

Michael Kroth is a University of Idaho assistant professor in the Adult, Career and Technology Education Department in Boise, whose research and writing are related to helping people discover and pursue passionate work, and for organizations to develop and maintain passionate, healthy, highly motivating work environments.  He is interested in organizational sustainability as considered broadly – which includes financial, environmental, competitive, infrastructure, resource, and leadership dimensions.  Michael, an avid library user, was asked about his connection to libraries:

“I had a hard time learning to read – around first grade we discovered I was color blind and they taught reading in those days using a color system.  Dad spent many an hour helping me overcome that slow start. I have loved books since Dad, who worked for the Wichita, Kansas public schools in the early 1960’s, began taking my brother, sisters, and me to this marvelous used book store every Christmas.  We each got $2.00 and could buy anything we wanted.  That was our present and it was grand.  We brought home dozens of used books. We couldn’t wait.  Even after bedtime Mom and Dad let us read each night for 15 minutes and then it was lights out – but we always read under the covers. 

I was a theater major in college and I loved musicals.  So the first librarian I fell for was Marian the Librarian when I appeared in the local stage version of The Music Man.  Long before that I’d spent many hours in my school and public libraries. I’d be helpless here at the university without our library.  You can’t have a top notch research university without a top level library and I use ours almost daily for my research, for my classes, and with my students.  I’ve spoken to groups of librarians in different parts of the country and there are so many special qualities they bring to their work.  They, like I, love books.  Maybe some of them also were lucky enough to get $2.00 each Christmas to buy a book that was worth its weight in gold.   I wouldn’t be surprised.”