Kay Cunningham likes to read. Mystery books, some science fiction, and comics are her preferred genres. But, she cautions, a love of books is not a prerequisite for her job as a librarian.

“The biggest misconception about librarians is that they are quiet and they like to read,” said Cunningham, who has served as the director of the Plough Library for 15 years and been a librarian for 35.

Skills that are particularly valuable—to those considering a career in librarianship—include curiosity, creativity, flexibility, and an interest in solving puzzles.

Cunningham’s first library job—if you didn’t count when she shelved books as a child in West Memphis—was at the “main library” on Peabody, where her primary responsibilities included public service and reference, staff training, mediated searching, and accessing government documents.

During Cunningham’s time as a reference librarian, then as a biomedical librarian, followed by five years as an electronic resources librarian, and currently as an academic librarian and archivist, she’s seen her share of changes in the field.

The idea of accessing resources electronically was just starting as she completed her master’s degree in librarianship at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1988.

“I was there when all the changes happened,” said Cunningham. “My research paper at UT was entitled CD-ROMs: Are They Here to Stay?”

She was there when the library got its first dedicated terminals to look up topics on CD-ROM. They also ran an online program called Dialog, and the library was charged by the number of results, so search term specificity was important.

Contrary to stereotypes, being a successful reference librarian required people skills and an interest in “the chase,” Cunningham said. Even with more and more content going online, everything is not available, and librarians remain the liaisons between customers and information.

The ability to categorize information is also critical. Librarians do the work behind the scenes, so people can find what they are looking for. Regularly, the library staff prunes Plough Library’s catalogue to make it more relevant and useful.

When she arrived at CBU, she found many out-of-date materials on the shelves. In 2015, the staff dedicated time to review the entire circulating collection, which was about 100,000 books, and cull it down to 69,000.

Mindful of the budget, Cunningham excels at doing more with less. The staff rearranges furniture and creates spaces students want to be in—so much so that the library now has a reservation system to reserve one of its cozy, functional group rooms.

During her time, the library established “new” and “popular” sections on the first floor that display the library’s latest acquisitions and most requested titles and reconfigured the Curriculum lab.

When new books are purchased, they are purchased thoughtfully, and she is proud of how she and her team have made great selections. For example, for a year after its publication, Plough Library was the only library in Memphis to have Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me. The book went on to win the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction and was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

Dr. John Smarrelli Jr. was appointed CBU’s first lay President just a few months before Cunningham joined the university. He described their overlap—he served from 2009 to 2019—as ”most fortunate.”

“In the true spirit of a Lasallian educator, Kay taught me about the importance of supporting a vibrant library experience for our students, faculty, and staff,” said Dr. Smarrelli, currently CBU President Emeritus and an adjunct professor at La Salle University in Philadelphia.

“Kay was exceptional in effectively spreading resources to support the highest quality library opportunities both online and physical for all the members of our community,” he added.

Serving as the director of the Plough Library also includes responsibility for the Brother I. Leo O’Donnell Archives, which contains 65,000 records. Taking a practical approach, Cunningham has prioritized newspaper clippings and photographs. The most frequent requests she receives are from people wanting to know if their loved one attended or worked at CBU (or CBC), and “after finding grandpa, they want to know if we have a picture of him,” Cunningham says.

Other archived materials of interest include documents detailing efforts by Brother Maurelian, Christian Brothers College’s first President, to urge the federal government to research the cause and prevention of yellow fever.

Brother Maurelian, who had contracted and survived yellow fever a few years earlier in Pass Christian, Mississippi, was doing all he could to protect CBC during the 1878 outbreak in Memphis.

Essentially, the archives include “everything about the school from 1871 to present,” said Cunningham. “We are reliant on the various CBU offices to remember to donate things.”

Her rule of thumb is, “Just bring us your stuff. There may be something that we need.”

After spending 15 years at CBU, Cunningham, a 2024 Distinguished Lasallian Educator of the Year, recently decided that she plans to retire in March.

“Kay chose to spend a large portion of her library career here at CBU, and we are lucky she did,” said William Brandon, Plough Library’s public services and acquisitions librarian.

“She came here with a wealth of knowledge and a skill set honed over the years in a variety of libraries and related institutions,” said Brandon. “She also brought with her a passion for developing not only CBU students but all the young librarians on her staff. I know I am a much better librarian and Lasallian as a result of her influence.”

Dr. Smarrelli shared what is likely on the minds of many CBU students, faculty, and staff.

“I am sure Kay will be missed greatly after her retirement from CBU,” he said. “Thank you, Kay.”