Damon M. Munz
October 17, 2007
Librarian Interview
1. Type of library

State Library (special, public)
2. Name of library

Connecticut State Library (History and Genealogy Unit)
3. City and State

Hartford, CT
4. Name and position of interviewee

Richard C. Roberts, Unit Head of History and Genealogy
5. Date of interview (in person or by phone)

The interview was made in person on Tuesday October 9, 2007 at 3p.m.
6. What are your job responsibilities?

Mr. Roberts’s job responsibilities include the direct supervision of 5 reference
librarians, the indirect supervision of support personnel, scheduling staff,
approving of book selections that the History and Genealogy Unit would like to
purchase, maintaining a budget, and overseeing various projects of the librarians
such as maps and newspapers.
7. What is your educational background?

Mr. Roberts’s educational background consists of a BA in English with a minor in
History from the University of Connecticut. MA in Education from the
University of Connecticut and a MLS from the University of Rhode Island.
8. Why did you decide to pursue library work?

Mr. Roberts stated that he pursued library work because in the early 1970’s
teaching jobs were very scarce and he wanted to explore other opportunities. By
serving in the Army he was eligible, under the GI bill, to have his education
classes paid for and he thought that was a perfect time to start taking classes
towards an MLS degree.
9. How long have you worked in this library? In this position?

Mr. Roberts has worked for the Connecticut State Library for 30 years and has
held the position of History and Genealogy Unit Head for 11 years.
10. Have you worked in other libraries? If yes, what kind of work?

Mr. Roberts started his library career at the Mansfield Public Library filling in for
one of the librarians that was on leave for about 6 to 9 months. He filled in
various duties there. He moved on to work at the Ashford Public Library and at
the same time worked at the courthouse in Putnam. He worked about 47 hours a
week between the two jobs. He worked in the law room at the Putnam courthouse
working in indexing and collection management. The courthouse libraries
throughout the state at that time were run by the Connecticut State Library. By
1988 he began working at the History and Genealogy Unit at the Connecticut
State Library completing various duties.
11. What do you enjoy most about the work you do?

What Mr. Roberts enjoys most about the work he does is that he is helping people
discover their past and where their ancestors came from. He also informs people
about the history of Connecticut. He loves to solve puzzles whether it is trying to
locate records on a patron’s lost ancestor or help a student find materials for a
report on Connecticut’s history.
12. What is the least enjoyable or most challenging?

Mr. Roberts least enjoyable or most challenging thing to do is putting together a
work schedule to ensure that the History and Genealogy Unit is staffed at all
times. He states that it is sometimes difficult to accommodate all the requests he
might get from the other librarians for vacations or requested time off. He has to
make sure there is sufficient staff to help with the needs of patrons not only
during the week, but on Saturdays as well. Another challenge is working with the
other units within the Information Services Division at the State Library
(Government Information Services, Law and Legislative Reference). This is
especially true when indexing or when trying to obtain reference items. The
History and Genealogy Unit also has to work closely with the State Archives Unit
to obtain archival material that patrons might request. Requests and answers to
questions sometimes take longer when going through multiple units at the library.
13. What do you wish you had learned in library education, that you did not learn, which
would be helpful with what you do?

Mr. Roberts wished he had learned more about how to use and maintain the
various electronics of the library such as microfilm readers and photocopiers. He
also wished that at the time he got his MLS they would of have taught classes on
how to use computers even though the personal computer would not become
common until many years later.
14. What have you found to be the most surprising about working in libraries?

Mr. Roberts found that the diversity of patrons and the various levels of research
were the most surprising things working in the History and Genealogy Unit. He
says that the patrons range from researchers with PhD’s to environmentalists to
high school students.
15. Do you have opportunities for professional development? If yes, what type? Are these
activities funded by the library?

Mr. Roberts stated that he does have opportunities for professional development
and they are funded by the library. He says he or one of his librarians can attend
genealogy conferences and workshops. Computer workshops are also provided
through the state at no cost. Mr. Roberts did state that the Law and Legislative
Reference Unit and Government Information Services Unit were able to attend
more conferences throughout the year than the History and Genealogy Unit. It
seems that they had more money allocated in the budget for their conferences.
16. How do you keep yourself informed of new developments/changes in librarianship?

Mr. Roberts keeps himself informed of new developments/changes in
librarianship by attending conferences and workshops having to do with
genealogy and library topics. Journals and computers also play a role in
providing information on new developments with libraries and providing updated
genealogy information. Mr. Roberts states that the History and Genealogy Unit is
unique and he tries to keep more informed with updated history and genealogy
information rather than the library as a whole.
17. If you could make one change in what you do, what would it be?

Mr. Roberts stated that one change he would make would be to be able to provide
an updated environment for patrons. He wants to move the History and
Genealogy Reading Room into the 21st century by providing more comfortable
seats for the patrons to read and more tables where researchers can have ample
space to do their research. He also wants to have enough electrical power to
service all the computers, microfilm readers, photocopiers, and printers, so the
power does not go off every time the units are being used all at the same time.
18. What would you say are the biggest challenges facing your library today?

Mr. Roberts thinks the biggest challenges facing the library are to keep ahead of
the most recent trends. He says that one way to keep ahead is to provide all the
archival material they have and make it available online. The librarians will also
have to continue to provide excellent service for the patrons that visit the library
for items not available online.
19. What would you say are your biggest accomplishments in your work?

Some of the biggest accomplishments during his time at the library, that he had
some input in, were providing a web page to patrons, making some of the catalog
available online, extended hours at the library which included getting the library
back open on Saturdays, and increasing the size of the staff.
20. Generally, who are your primary library users?

The primary users of the History and Genealogy Unit are a variety of historians,
genealogists, researchers, environmentalists, businesses, students, lawyers, state
employees, and the general public.