Mary S. Woodley
In Memoriam
Mary Woodley passed away on November 19, 2013 after a short illness. She accomplished many significant milestones in her long career in librarianship. She was an active member of the CSUN community and professional associations, a voracious reader, an avid traveler, and an enthusiastic participant in her quilting group.
Mary held academic degrees in anthropology, archaeology, and library & information science. She worked at the Getty Library for several years before starting work at the University Library in 1999 as a Social Sciences Bibliographer. In 2004, Mary was appointed as Collection Development Coordinator of the University Library. In this capacity she negotiated contracts with vendors, worked in conjunction with the Chancellor’s Office, and coordinated the work of over 20 librarians who selected a variety of print and digital materials in all disciplines. As Collection Development Coordinator, Mary was responsible for an annual acquisitions budget of over $1.5 million.
Throughout her tenure at CSUN, Mary was the subject liaison for art, anthropology, and several other disciplines. She made selection decisions in these areas and taught many library instruction classes in these fields. She also worked at the reference desk and in individual research consultations providing research guidance to students and faculty alike.
Mary was the project director for our first digital library project, the San Fernando Valley History Digital Library, which was made possible by funding through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grant Program. This grant lasted from 2000-2001. Mary continued to work on digital projects as our resident digital “metadata expert” throughout the 2000s.
Mary was heavily involved in both campus committees and library teams. In addition, she was an active participant in national professional associations, giving presentations, serving on committees, and writing articles. Mary also taught several classes in knowledge management through the Tseng College of Extended Studies.
Mary was a good friend, a loyal colleague, and a fearless proponent of best practices in librarianship. I relied on her for advice, counsel, and encouragement. She made her mark on me and on countless others in ways that cannot be expressed in words. Mary will be greatly missed by her family, friends, and colleagues at the University Library.
Mark Stover
Dean, University Library
November 2013