Vol. 39, No. 2
Fall 2009

Volunteer Spotlight:
Linda Perham

by Maria Pina, Studio Manager

When Carl Swenson began volunteering in the machine department in 1991, he had no idea it would prompt his daughter to do the same. Week after week, he came to the library to fix, test and clean machines. Then he had several strokes. His life changed. For a while, he even stopped volunteering. Then his daughter Linda thought it might be good for him to return to his old stomping ground.

So he did. Except this time, she was right there with him. “What began as therapeutic has really worked out. I spend time with my dad, and he gets to see his friends.” Not to mention the valuable hours they contribute to the library.

Every Tuesday morning since 2003, father and daughter have come to BTBL to “help provide a rewarding service to others,” as Linda puts it. She does everything from filing; boxing, cleaning and unpacking machines; sending letters; making boxes and helping others. Her role even includes being the unofficial birthday coordinator in Machines. “It’s nice to get together. We’re like family,” Linda says.

Her goal is to reach the 1,000 hour milestone with her dad. To beef up her hours, she also began doing home review last year. Home reviewers listen to books in their entirety to ensure they’re error-free. Linda is always happy to review any genre, and she does an excellent job of providing useful feedback to teams. “I love to read,” says Linda. “I probably should have been a librarian,” she jokes. It’s easy to see why she says that. Her turnaround time for books is pretty quick, and she is very dependable.

Linda retired from the community college school district several years ago. She still works part time in the human resources department. “I like to stay busy helping.”

When she’s not volunteering, Linda likes to spend time with her family. She has three grandbabies, all under the age of two. Thank you, Linda, for all the excellent work that you do!