Eau Claire Area Native Retires After 23 Years with Olathe (Kansas) Public Library

Linse retires after 23 years with Olathe library. (Kansas City Star, 1/25/2011)

Excerpt: When Mary Linse joined the staff at the Olathe Public Library in 1987, there were only a handful of computers available for public use.

When she retired last month, about 90 computers were available for public use, including 54 at the main library downtown and 33 at the Indian Creek Branch on Black Bob Road.

Linse was hired as a part-time library clerk, working weekends at the main library. She was promoted to support services in 1989 and was in charge of technology for the library system. She helped facilitate the acquisition of more sophisticated and user-friendly technology for library patrons.

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A native of the Eau Claire area of Wisconsin, Linse became interested in library work as a career when she was in junior high school. She worked in the library before school started and found that she enjoyed the atmosphere.

“There were interesting people there and I enjoyed the work so the staff just kept adding to my library skills,” she said.

She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and library and media education from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She also has a Master of Library Science degree from Emporia State University.

She was head of processing at the University of Wisconsin-Stout campus before moving to Kansas City in 1985. At that time she worked for a library software company. She then joined a Kansas City, Mo., school as a school librarian.