Thank You, Mrs. McCullough!

Dear ALSC Members, 

Many of us probably have fond memories of our favorite librarians who helped us choose books to read and use for school-related projects, delighted us with read-alouds and performances during storytime and puppet shows, and enrolled us in fun-themed summer reading programs. I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s in Macon, Georgia, a small town about an hour south of Atlanta. My local library was the Shurling Branch about a mile from my home. Mama took me and my sister, Jada, to the library on numerous occasions and especially made sure to take us when school had ended each year so we could participate in summer reading programs. One of the librarians who stood out to me and my sister was Mrs. Suzy McCullough. We still talk about her to this day, and we are both now in our 50s!

Mrs. McCullough stayed at the Shurling Branch Library for thirty years, and our interactions with her changed as we grew up and became professionals. After leaving Macon to attend the University of Florida, I returned home upon graduation and began teaching K–2 students at an elementary school in town. I lived at home with my parents while I taught, so the public library where Mrs. McCullough still worked became the place I went to check out books to support my work in the classroom. Each week, I conducted studies of some of my favorite authors and illustrators (e.g., Floyd Cooper, Eloise Greenfield, Lois Ehlert, Dav Pilkey) and made sure to have at least 10–15 books by these individuals each week to display and read from during storytime. Mrs. McCullough and the other librarians at the Shurling Branch helped me obtain books in advance. I would tell them which authors or illustrators I wanted to highlight for the next 2–3 weeks, and they would help me round up titles they didn’t have from other branches so I could just make one stop at the Shurling Branch Library to pick them all up.

After 5 years of teaching school, I moved away to pursue my PhD at The Ohio State University and later moved to South Carolina to teach at Clemson University, but when I came home for holidays, summer breaks, and weekend visits, I continued going to my local library where I would often touch base with Mrs. McCullough. I began giving her copies of my “Mirrors and Windows…” children’s literature newsletter, which she would put out on display for patrons. Mrs. McCullough is now working at another branch in Macon, but I still keep in touch with her through my sister. Several years ago, Jada was studying to take an exam to become a licensed social worker, and Mrs. McCullough helped her locate materials and offered to purchase anything else she might need. In 2017, my sister posted the photo below on Facebook of her and Mrs. McCullough (who is holding one of my newsletters) with this message: “When your childhood librarian still orders you books.”

After sending Mrs. McCullough my most recent newsletter and a note telling her that the young girl who came into the Shurling Branch Library more than 40 years ago is now the president of ALSC, she sent me a note in return. She explained that many years ago when she was studying children’s literature at numerous schools, such as The University of Georgia and Emory University, “Charlotte Huck was one of the big names!” and that she is proud of me as the holder of the Charlotte S. Huck Endowed Professorship, because she now considers me a big name, too. Mrs. McCullough also noted that she still remembers my mama bringing me and Jada to the library, and asked that I stop by to visit the next time I’m in town.

My sister and I are both very appreciative of Mrs. McCullough. I hope all of you know that you, too, are playing an extremely important role in the lives of young people. Know that when patrons come in to your library, you never know what they may achieve and that whatever their successes are in their future lives, you played a role. A future president of ALSC could now be one of your young patrons! I offer my heartfelt thank-you to Mrs. McCullough and all of those other librarians who work hard each day to put the right materials in children’s (and adults’) hands and encourage their lifelong love of reading!

Jonda C. McNair
Charlotte S. Huck Endowed Professor of Children’s Literature, The Ohio State University
2023–2024 ALSC President
she/her/hers