{"id":22876,"date":"2021-06-01T14:45:44","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T14:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/aroundthed\/?p=22876"},"modified":"2021-06-01T14:45:44","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T14:45:44","slug":"the-true-art-of-memory-is-the-art-of-attention-recognizing-sharon-byrd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalexhibits.dcreate.domains\/aroundthed\/?p=22876","title":{"rendered":"The true art of memory is the art of attention*: Recognizing Sharon Byrd"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sharon joined the Davidson College Library as a Cataloger in 1979. Although she quickly realized that the job of cataloging wasn\u2019t for her, she knew right away that Davidson was. Throughout her 42 years here, Sharon worked as a reference librarian, a special collections librarian, the head of public services, and interim library director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/aroundthed\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/06\/Byrd-Library-Staff-1-1024x752.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22881\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> Along the way, she\u2019s seen many changes to the library (card catalogs, anyone?), but the passion for her work has remained constant. It\u2019s rooted in her desire to support students, faculty, staff, and alumni in all their research endeavors. Generations of Davidsonians have been the beneficiaries of \u201cMrs. Byrd\u2019s\u201d warmth, curiosity, and professional knowledge. Countless research papers, articles, and books couldn\u2019t have been written without her generous assistance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just as remarkable is Sharon\u2019s memory for the students, faculty, and staff she worked with and the events she experienced throughout her career. When alumni return to campus, she recognizes them and remembers their major, the name of their roommate, and the sport they played. When a current student comes into the library, it\u2019s not unusual for Sharon to recognize their connection to alums and regale them with stories from their parents\u2019 time at Davidson.&nbsp; This trait is especially appreciated by her colleagues in the archives who have given her the unofficial title of \u201cInstitutional Memory.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/aroundthed\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/06\/Byrd-BIO-260-2014.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"22879\" data-link=\"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/aroundthed\/?attachment_id=22879\" class=\"wp-image-22879\"\/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/aroundthed\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/06\/Byrd-National-Poetry-Month-2017-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"22880\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/aroundthed\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/06\/Byrd-National-Poetry-Month-2017-scaled.jpeg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/aroundthed\/?attachment_id=22880\" class=\"wp-image-22880\"\/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\">BIO 260 2014; National Poetry Month 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All of Sharon\u2019s colleagues are so grateful for her enthusiasm, thoughtfulness, and positivity. Throughout the years, we have been the fortunate recipients of thoughtful gifts, kind words, and encouragement at just the right moment. Sharon, you are more than a colleague; you are a mentor and a friend. It\u2019s hard to imagine Davidson without you, but we wish you the very best in a well-deserved retirement. You tell us you\u2019ll be travelling, volunteering at your church, walking with your dog Pace, and indulging in your husband John\u2019s cooking and baking. We will miss you, but we look forward to hearing about your adventures when we inevitably run into you in the post office!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/davidsonarchivesandspecialcollections.org\/aroundthed\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2021\/06\/Byrd-Retirement-Notice-May-2021-1-1024x544.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22882\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*With thanks to Samuel Johnson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sharon joined the Davidson College Library as a Cataloger in 1979. Although she quickly realized that the job of cataloging wasn\u2019t for her, she knew right away that Davidson was. Throughout her 42 years here, Sharon worked as a reference librarian, a special collections librarian, the head of public services, and interim library director. Along &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalexhibits.dcreate.domains\/aroundthed\/?p=22876\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;The true art of memory is the art of attention*: Recognizing Sharon Byrd&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-staff"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalexhibits.dcreate.domains\/aroundthed\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalexhibits.dcreate.domains\/aroundthed\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalexhibits.dcreate.domains\/aroundthed\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalexhibits.dcreate.domains\/aroundthed\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalexhibits.dcreate.domains\/aroundthed\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/digitalexhibits.dcreate.domains\/aroundthed\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22876\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalexhibits.dcreate.domains\/aroundthed\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalexhibits.dcreate.domains\/aroundthed\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalexhibits.dcreate.domains\/aroundthed\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}