Charlotte Canelli is the library director at the Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood, MA. Read Charlotte's column in the April 24, 2014 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.
At times I wonder if you are
fatigued of my writing. Lately, my columns seem to include too
many stories about disaster and loss. I’ve tried to tie
those discussions to books in the library that might benefit one of our
readers who might be intrigued by the topic or those who
are journeying through experiences much like I have. I’ve tried
to share stories that might strike a chord, touch a place in
your own heart, or encourage you to read what I've shared with you.
This week I lost a very special
colleague who was a Massachusetts librarian for 25 years. Her death came as a shock. How
could someone younger than me and one so inspirational to
others leave so quickly and unexpectedly?
I must
admit, I don’t know many personal details of Jane Dutton’s
life before I met her. I do know
she was raised in California just as I was. I know that she received her
master’s in library science from Simmons College in Boston and her first years
as a professional librarian were spent in the children’s room, much like mine
were. Nine years after becoming the
children’s librarian in Holden, Massachusetts, she was promoted to library director.
For another 12 years she was much loved
in Holden where her enthusiasm for the community and her love for reading
became legendary across Massachusetts.
When I relocated back to
Massachusetts to take on the library directorship in a central Massachusetts town,
a group of local, caring librarians took me under their charge and shepherded
me through my first years as an administrator. One of those amazing librarians was Jane Dutton. She and they provided guidance while I
tackled bureaucratic and confusing reports.
They encouraged me while I battled difficult library
scenarios. They were undeniably the
finest resource for insider information in Massachusetts. They
were also the definitive proof that librarians are the most
valuable friends on the planet.
Jane Dutton was a voracious
reader. Over the years, I relied on
Jane’s Picks – her monthly book reviews and recommendations. In breakfast
meetings, with her usual wicked wit, Jane would recall the latest episode of
the television series that she was watching and she would leave us in
stitches.
Jane
watched it all, she read it all, and she shared it all.
Jane retired from the Gale Free
Library in Holden, MA and ended her official library career earlier than
expected in 2011. On a wing and a prayer
(and an enormous belief in the great things that would come) she moved to The
Netherlands to live with her newfound partner (and future wife), Natasha. From
the town of Utrecht, twenty miles from Amsterdam, Jane quickly began writing
blog posts that described her unique experience of a retired-American
librarian in The Netherlands. I wasn’t
alone in loving to read Jane’s blog. Two years after writing her first post,
Jane announced that she was receiving 30,000 web hits from all over the world.
True
to Jane’s form, each of Jane’s posts was headed by a movie title.
The posts usually finished with some kind of recommended reading or
watching. Some posts were poignant and most were hilarious.
One
of my favorites was “The Breakfast Club” written on April 15, 2011. She explained the Dutch love of Nutella and
sprinkles (as large as ‘ants on steroids’) - a touch of
sweetness simply spread on bread for breakfast. She described omelets
eaten for any meal, any time. She ended
that "Breakfast Club" post with Jane’s Boekentips
(translated from the Dutch to English as “book tips): Breakfast with Scot by
Michael Downing, Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo and Bachelor Brothers’
Bed and Breakfast by Bill Richardson.
In
another early blog post named Up, Jane described the years she spent as the
tallest girl in school in California.
As an adult, she stood 5’8” and felt as if she towered above most
people. In Holland, however, the Dutch
(the tallest people in world) often made Jane “feel like a Smurf in the land of
Avatar.” Her recommended reading? The
Giant’s House by Elizabeth McCracken and The Giant of Aberdeen County by
Tiffany Baker.
In February, Jane described how she
had just received a jury summons from Massachusetts, three years after she had
departed the Commonwealth for Holland.
“I guess word of my exit had not reached the courthouse,” she wrote. She then explained that there are no juries
in The Netherlands. The judge decides
the case. Her post ended with a
recommendation to watch 12 Angry Men.
Jane wrote her last post from
The Netherlands just three years after her first. On April
15, Jane’s wife Natasha posted for her; Jane could no longer type or
write. It was a dictated description of her last journey with The Mary Tyler
Moore Show - hilarious, American 70s television that was helping her to
ease the pain of liver cancer. As usual, Jane
was remarkable. She was funny and honest, and she shared
her love of all 168 episodes.
When Jane Dutton lost her
not-quite-three-month battle on April 17, I sat in disbelief. A group of her friends, myself included, had
just gathered the week before for a photograph meant to humor and heal her.
While the photo touched her deeply when it reached her online through the magic
of Facebook, how could she have lost her battle so quickly? My heart broke for
her wonderful new family and her host of friends around the world. How would we never read another post, another
book or movie recommendation, another bit of wicked wit from a woman who spent
her life sharing her wisdom with others?
I
will always be inspired by Jane Dutton, the quintessential librarian. If I
could have, I would have told her: “Rest in peace, Jane, knowing that I will
reread your blog posts and “boekentips” with the same smile - but this time
with a tear in my eye.”
