Nancy Bennett started working at UNM in July 1998 as a temporary employee for ATRI (Alliance for Transportation Institute), part of the School of Engineering. She was then hired full time in September of 1998 to manage the Department of Energy’s T-REX Program, a $5 million contract pertaining to the transportation of radioactive materials and waste. She worked for the Department of Energy for a month when she decided it was time for a career change. She was hired as an LIS3 at Parish where she has worked for 10 years as of this August.
Coincidentally, the profession of librarianship runs in Nancy’s family. Both of her parents were librarians. Her mother was a school librarian while her father was head of the Rose Polytechnic Library (now the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) until he transferred to Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, and then took the position of head of reference at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Even her Aunt Wilma Bennett had an interest in the profession. She wrote The Student Library Assistant: A Workbook, Bibliography, and Manual of Suggestions which can be read online via HathiTrust. The Western Kentucky University Library has the only physical copy.
One of Nancy’s interests lies in volunteering and giving back to the community. In fact, she rescues and fosters dogs for Tootsie’s Vision, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of blind dogs. She is currently housing and caring for 10 dogs (with a total of 6 working eyes!). She was even recently elected as a board member for Tootsie’s Vision. In all, she has fostered over 200 cats and kittens, including hospice foster, while working with other animal rescue organizations since living in New Mexico.
Nancy with Buddy, Cinnamon, Sugar, and Patches
Continuing with her volunteer efforts, Nancy has been in charge of the following donation drives at the UL&LS:
Once Nancy is able to retire, she will head north as she misses “the humidity, snow and the several million people” in a metropolitan city. Detroit is a city on her retirement location shortlist. In the meantime though, keep an eye out for any of Nancy’s donation drives around the UL&LS as she is quite busy with volunteering and the events she spearheads pop up often.
To donate to Tootsie’s Vision: https://www.tootsiesvision.org/we-need-your-support
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