On March 1, Beth Perkins retired from her position as Head of Circulation at UMW Libraries. During her 28 years at UMW she not only supervised both students and full-time employees, but planned for and helped administer library programs and services. In the late 1980s she assisted with the transition from a card catalog to an online catalog and was often referred to as “Beta-Test Beth” for her ability to spot problems with a complex automated system. For years she was an active member of the Virginia Library Association’s Paraprofessional Forum, and in 1996 she received the organization’s inaugural Paraprofessional of the Year award. Four years later she received Library Journal’s first Paraprofessional of the Year award, the criteria of which included “contribution(s) enabling the library to best serve its constituents and/or its community.” In nominating Beth for this prestigious, national honor, Systems Librarian Bob Grattan wrote that “her leadership on the job is always strong, and she brings experience and excellent skills to her staff. Her professionalism is underlined by her extensive training and her experience working with her peers in several organizations.” Beth likes to travel and is fanatical about her music, so now that she’s retired, she intends to travel where the music is and attend concerts and festivals around the country.
