After growing up in Manhattan, Bowdoin Librarian Sherrie Bergman thought she would never leave New York.
She managed to stay in the city for undergraduate studies, graduate work, and her first library jobs, but work finally took her to New England.
After obtaining a degree in sociology from Brooklyn College, Bergman received her master's degree in library science at Columbia University before getting her first job at the Queens Borough Public Library. Next, she moved on to the New School for Social Research in Manhattan.
Finally, she was drawn out of New York City when she was offered a job running the library at the Providence campus of Roger Williams College. Leaving New York for the first time was a hard adjustment, but Bergman says that she has come to love New England and now it is her home.
Bergman's love of books drove her to enter library science and she still loves to read and do research. She believes that the library puts her in touch with universal knowledge.
After working at Wheaton College, Bergman joined Bowdoin's staff in 1992 because of Hawthorne-Longfellow Library's reputation for outstanding collections that are great resources for research. She also came here because of the College's reputation for excellence in liberal arts education.
In addition to the school's excellent collections, Bergman was attracted to Bowdoin's technology?and she came here at a time when technology was transforming library services.
As Bergman explained, "I'm really excited about the way technology has changed library service" and that she enjoys the way it brings "a dazzling universe of information to everyone's desktop."
Her favorite part about her job is working with the "wonderful and highly skilled library staff." She also enjoys how serious Bowdoin students are about their academic work and the way that they make many demands on the library. She also enjoys working with Bowdoin faculty, who she describes as serious scholars who appreciate the services offered by the library.
One challenge she enjoys at work is "informing students and faculty members about the many new services and electronic resources the library is offering."
Bergman appreciates the opportunities she has to work with students, and currently is co-advisor to the Bowdoin Hillel with Professor of Economics Rachel Connelly.
"Bergman has been endlessly supportive of everything we [at Hillel] tried to do this year as an organization," Shelley Barron '09 said. "She's really enthusiastic about our activities and our ideas and gives us all the freedom we need as a group. She's always really warm and kind and understanding and optimistic in our personal exchanges. I don't think Hillel could have asked for a better advisor," Barron added.
Bergman is also well-respected by her co-workers. Jaime Jones, the evening circulation assistant at the library, explained, "I think she is a great person and I wish that I had the opportunity to work more with her."
In addition to her work on Bowdoin's campus, Sherrie is active in several organizations that deal with care of the elderly. One of these is the Maine State Alzheimer's Association. She started the first Bowdoin team for the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk, which is a national fundraising effort. She is also on the board of directors for Midcoast Senior Health Center, which oversees operations of the center. She is also on a state committee that is a "quality review committee that examines issues related to the quality of care delivered to elderly citizens."
She is married and has a son and a daughter. Her son is 22 and is currently a senior at Dartmouth. Her daughter is a 24-year-old graduate of Smith College. When not busy with her other interests, Bergman enjoys jogging with her husband and reading. In addition, she does yoga and meditation. Her favorite book is "Ada," by Vladimir Nabokov.
As far as her work at Bowdoin goes, Bergman is most proud of the renovations of the library. According to Bergman, when she first came to Bowdoin, the basement was so dark and dingy that students referred to it as the dungeon. Many of the library's lights were on timers, books were stacked high and blocked windows on the main floor, and there was less study space. In addition, one-fourth of Hawthorne-Longfellow was assigned as administrative space.
Since then, renovation efforts have resulted in many changes in the library. Among these are better lighting, improved technology, more spaces for both group and individual study, compact shelving, new carpet and furnishings, and the clearing of spaces where the windows were previously blocked. She feels this has made the library both more useful and more inviting.
One of Bergman's primary goals is to integrate information literacy skills into the curriculum, with an emphasis on ability to evaluate sources. She also pointed out the need to expand music and art library spaces.
In regards to the changes that have been made since she came to Bowdoin, Bergman admits that it is enjoyable for her to see alumni respond to the changes. She says the student response has also been very gratifying, as many years were spent planning the renovations.
Bergman's library leadership and planning skills extend into several organizations to which she belongs. She was elected a delegate-at-large on the Users Council of the Online Computer Library Center. She is also a member of the American Library Association, of which she is a past president of the New England Chapter, and served on the Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship in 1997.
With Bergman's enthusiastic approach to the improvement of the library and services in the library, students can expect continued positive change in Bowdoin library services.