To the editor:

Bill Mitchell’s picture of Kansas University’s librarian par excellence, Eleanor Symons, supplementing her Journal-World Galluzzi Award article (Feb. 23) brings rich memories to mind. I recall Eleanor’s comment, “There’s no place for sloppy cataloging in a library!” Then her wonderful sense of humor and infectious laugh. She presided over the extensive technical processing department at Watson Library and oversaw cataloguers from many foreign countries, each proficient in his or her own language as well as English, a regular miniature United Nations. Her ability was awe-inspiring and apparently limitless. A real treasure.

“Sloppy cataloging” of a book in hand is a lost book, with wrong subject headings, wrong shelf address and usually not to be found. So it behooves the cataloguer to do it right, a responsible job, following Library of Congress’ rules of cataloging and classification. If there was a problem, Eleanor Symons was there for a correct interpretation of LC rules for the cataloguer, making the unclear perfectly clear. Regardless of one’s library degree or skills, one learned from Eleanor as if turning on a light.

Card catalogs are disappearing from libraries but for the small ones, a mixed blessing or a great loss, for the card catalog is perhaps one of a library’s best reference tools. Eleanor Symons’ gifts were treasured. They still are for she is of diverse talents that still shine brightly. And so do Bill Mitchell’s astute observations from yet another great KU librarian.

Sue Hess,

Lawrence