Photo by Christina VanHorn,
UNH Human Resources

"I love my job. I love my job. I love my job." Many folks utter this mantra when something upsetting happens to them during a day at work. It can serve as a way of temporarily removing themselves from the situation and reinforcing the fact that there are things they are happy with at work, even if not at that particular moment. For Cindy Tremblay, "I love my job" is a constant. And it's always a positive. She thoroughly enjoys to coming to work, being at work, and looks forward to the next day of work. You hear it in her voice and see it in her face.

Cindy worked as an undergraduate from 1987-1991 as a Student Library worker at UNH. "Yes, I worked in Dimond Library back in the days of bright orange and yellow striped carpets!" she recalls. "By my senior year I had pretty much decided that I wanted to work in libraries. Just a few months after graduation I was so fortunate to get a job at the UNH Manchester Library which was less than five miles from my home. My first position at UNHM was as a non-status employee, moving TV's and VCR's from classroom to classroom, putting materials on Reserve and checking out books to students. After a year I was reclassified to a Library Assistant with added duties such as managing the slide collection and ordering films. During this time I was lucky to work with two incredible librarians who pretty much taught me everything I know about being a librarian. Then, in 1996, I was reclassified to a Library Associate as my duties once again changed to include ordering and cataloging books, interlibrary loan and of course, the most important part of my job, helping students."

Some of the "behind-the-scenes" responsibilities of Cindy's current position include ordering all of the books and films for the library. "I also get to open the boxes of new books and films when they arrive - one of the best jobs a librarian could ever have!" she explains. "I then catalog all of these new materials which is librarian-speak for I enter records into the UNH Library Online Catalog. I oversee the library's periodical collection. I supervise a handful (2-4) of work-study students. And even though I am not a "techie" I do know enough about computers to maintain all of the library's workstations."

Beyond the technical librarian skills, Cindy also uses a lot of the skills she learned as an undergraduate Mathematics major at UNH, primarily organization (after all, that's what libraries are about - organizing information) and problem solving. And this is where her superb people-skills come into play the most. "I have the opportunity to spend a couple of hours each day at the Reference Desk where I interact with students," Cindy says. "This is truly the most rewarding part of my job. A college library can be an intimidating place. It is my job to be there with a friendly smile and a 'What can I do for you today?' The questions are wide-ranging from 'Where's the pencil sharpener?' to 'I'm doing a paper on the influence of seat selection on grades, where do I begin?' I think a lot of students assume they are supposed to know how to do college-level research and they often feel bad about asking a librarian for help. I can't tell them enough - that's my job! Since we are a small school I get to know these students and then watch them walk across the stage and receive their degree at graduation. In a very small way I feel that I have contributed to their success."

Another thing Cindy is very open about is her admirable feelings towards her mentors when she first arrived at the UNHM library - Judy Romein and Mary Jean Colburn. "From day one they taught me the 'UNHM way' - the student always, always comes first," Cindy says. "Do whatever you can to help the student - even if it has nothing to do with the library. This is still my philosophy today and I hope that I have been an example to all new library employees." Those mentors taught Cindy well, as Annie Donahue (Cindy's supervisor) says about Cindy "She is a valuable employee. Within the college and university-wide, Cindy is acknowledged for her dedication and enthusiasm for UNHM, her strong work ethic and her superb skills. Cindy's performance is above average in every aspect of her job and she excels in many areas. The students, staff and faculty are well-served by Cindy, and many have come to rely on her expertise. I appreciate Cindy's strengths and her contribution to the library work-team and I value her recommendations and judgment in the day-to-day operation of the library."

What does Cindy enjoy most about working at UNHM? She says "In addition to just loving what I do, it is so easy to come to work every day because today will be different than yesterday and tomorrow will be different than today. This is a small library so I wear many hats. Some days I might be buying books. Some days I might be installing new computers or fixing printers and others might be full of meetings. Some days I might be doing all of these things."

When asked about her hobbies and interests, Cindy replies "For the past 12 years I have coached a girl's basketball team (The Raptors) in the Goffstown Parks & Recreation program. It was a program I participated in as a young girl so it is important to me to give back to my community. It is also important to me that young girls have female role models, especially when it comes to sports. For the past 5 years I have also coached a girls Rec. softball team (The Cardinals) in the Spring. In my spare time I like to work on unfinished furniture, usually staining but sometimes painting pieces. I find it very relaxing and it is very easy to get lost in a project."