Katie Duke Retires

Katie S. Duke retired in August after serving as Coordinator for Information Literacy for the past twenty-three years. Born in Chickasha, Oklahoma and reared in Potterville, California, Katie attended California Baptist College where she first found her love for libraries while employed as a page in the school's library. After a brief stint as a social worker, Katie decided to pursue a Master of Science Degree in Librarianship at the University of Oklahoma. During this time she married Bill Duke, a naval officer, and moved back to Long Beach California, where she served as a children's librarian in several branches of the Long Beach Public Library System. When Bill was deployed to Vietnam, Katie with son Adam in tow, returned to Oklahoma to finish her MLS. When Bill returned from Vietnam, Katie and Adam joined him in Chula Vista, CA where she again found the call to public library service, this time as a youth and adult services librarian. A later move up the California coast brought the young Duke family to Rio Vista, where Katie expanded her library service to the public school system, serving as a librarian for grades 7-12.

 

When husband Bill decided to pursue his doctorate at Southern Seminary in Kentucky, the Dukes, now parents of two sons, moved east to Owen County, Kentucky, where Katie again found school librarianship calling. The family added one more son before making its final move east to Conyngham Valley, near Hazelton, PA. Katie served as library director at the nursing school and medical library of CMC Hospital for several years before beginning her final career move at the University of Scranton.

 

Katie began a vital program of what was then called Bibliographic Instruction (now Information Fluency) upon her arrival at Scranton. Virtually every faculty member was contacted and explained the benefits of bringing their class to the Library for instruction on using the card catalog, the indexes and other tools helpful in research and writing. Whether it was Freshman Seminar, Summer Orientation, or Library Instruction in Chemical Literature, Katie organized and directed sessions to help the students feel more comfortable with the resources at the University Library. Brown bag lunches on using Turnitin.com software, academic honesty tutorials for both graduate and undergraduate students, and the implementation of the Library's component of Computer and Information Literacy were some of the highlights of Katie's service to the University. She also served on numerous campus-wide committees, including the Board on Rank and Tenure, the Faculty Development Board, and the Intellectual Property Committee of the Faculty Senate. Her service to the Nursing Department, both faculty and students, was noted by the presentation of a special plaque honoring her years of commitment.

 

Katie has joined her husband Bill in Newport News, Virginia (after nearly 10 years of commuting there each weekend), where she hopes to embark on a number of projects, including keeping her genealogical records up-to-date, teaching Bible Study and participating in other activities of the Langley Baptist Church, where Bill serves as pastor. She hopes to have more time to visit her three sons, Adam, Josh and Caleb as well as spoil her three grandchildren, Ember, Meredyth and Rowan. She also plans on keeping up with her many weaving, knitting and gardening projects.

 

The Library staff honored Katie at a special reception on May 8, where Dean Charles Kratz presented her with a University of Scranton chair. For some reason, I don't think Katie will be sitting in that chair very often, knowing her insatiable thirst for keeping herself busy and out of trouble. Katie - it may be too late to plow and too early to dance, but all of your friends and colleagues at the University of Scranton hope that your well-deserved retirement will be one of good health and happiness.