{"id":4716,"date":"2024-01-19T18:02:47","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T23:02:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/?p=4716"},"modified":"2025-07-23T15:28:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T19:28:25","slug":"twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/","title":{"rendered":"Twenty-Five Years of Mears Fellows"},"content":{"rendered":"

F<\/span>or students who used the Julia Rogers Library between 1977 and 1996, Io DeGraw Mears was often the first face they saw, and she made it a safe, welcoming space for all. As supervisor of the library\u2019s large student workforce, Mears knew students well and took pleasure in following their careers after graduation. At her death in 1996, her family established a fund to provide financial assistance for alums pursuing graduate studies in library and information science. The first two fellowships were awarded in 1998. As co-managers of the fund, to mark the 25th anniversary of those awards in 2023, we contacted the 40 Mears Fund recipients for updates. With responses from more than half of them, we are happy to share those stories with the Goucher community and the Mears family.<\/p>\n

Those first two fellows were Lori Cunningham \u201991<\/strong><\/span> and Jessica Mathewson \u201992<\/strong><\/span>, both of whom worked for Mears as students. Cunningham says, \u201cI had the privilege of knowing Mrs. Mears. In fact, she was my first supervisor in a library. As a freshman in 1987, I needed a work-study job, so I wandered into the library at the beginning of fall semester. After a brief conversation, she gave me a start date, and I remember asking, ‘So, I have the job?’ Thirty-six years later, I\u2019m still working as an eResources and reference librarian at the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh. I like to think that she would be happy and proud to know that I\u2019m still in an academic library. \u2026 Any graduate student is grateful for a fellowship opportunity, but knowing the woman, Io DeGraw Mears, behind this fellowship was the true honor. It may sound clich\u00e9, but I truly do owe my career and so many lessons learned in life to Mrs. Mears.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mathewson reflected, \u201cI was fortunate to have had the opportunity to know Mrs. Mears personally. Almost 30 years have gone by since then, but I can still remember the sound of her voice, her smile, and her willingness to believe in me despite what a bad shelver I was.\u201d Mathewson now works for the publishing house of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, based in Rome. \u201cI started working for FAO as a librarian 20 years ago. I moved from cataloging to reference work to social media expert and blogger. Around 10 years ago, I left library work and assumed responsibility for copyright and intellectual property issues for FAO publications. Most people think that I come from a legal background when I tell them what I do. But I think that library training is an excellent starting point for the exploration of copyright issues for publications. That, combined with the analytical and writing skills that I perfected at Goucher, has helped to make me very good at what I do, and I\u2019m so lucky to have a job that I love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mears Fellows represent the breadth of the library profession as well as related fields. They are in academic, public, school, and special libraries and archives. They are podcasting, promoting digital equity, researching the family history of Rhoda Dorsey, and supporting home schoolers.<\/p>\n

Malissa Ruffner \u201977<\/strong><\/span> had worked as a computer programmer, a lawyer, and director of a small private school in Baltimore City when she saw an article about the Mears Fellowship in this magazine. After graduating from the University of Maryland College of Information Studies in 2002, she formed an information consulting business with a range of clients, including projects in the Goucher archives, describing Ridgley Family collections at Historic Hampton and elsewhere, drafting retention schedules for the ACLU of Maryland, and coordinating training and staffing for the Internet Public Library\u2019s digital reference service. Her passion for archives and historical research led her next to professional genealogy, serving for five years as director of the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records. Since 2016, she has been the lead Maryland genealogist for the Georgetown Memory Project, tracing descendants of 272 Jesuit-enslaved men, women, and children sold in 1838 to benefit what was then Georgetown College. \u201cI\u2019m currently working on a ‘genealogical biography’ of Rhoda M. Dorsey, who engaged me as a genealogist after we worked together at the Goucher Archives. That project recently took me back to Goucher to study her personal and presidential papers\u2014a labor of love that brings my Mears Fellowship story full circle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruffner is not the only Fellow who was drawn to archives. Working in the American School of Archaeology\u2019s library in Jerusalem, Paige Smith \u201973<\/strong><\/span> realized she wanted to be an archivist. After graduation from library school at the University of Alabama, she helped reorganize the Birmingham Museum of Art library. \u201cThat took us a couple of years. … But how was I to get a job as an archivist? Amazingly, a local biotech\/engineering research institute, loosely connected with UAB, was looking for an archivist, though their job did not require a degree. I wrote to them and explained WHY a TRAINED archivist was what they REALLY wanted, and got the job at the salary I asked for! I was immediately immersed in a plethora of government regulations and rules about how to maintain archives for government and clinical work\u2014and I loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karen King Day \u201989<\/strong><\/span> is the assistant director of the York County (PA) Archives, where she has worked for over 30 years with county records from 1749 to the present. \u201cI had the privilege of working with Mrs. Mears as a student at Goucher, including full-time in the summers. She taught us not only library skills but also strong customer service and professionalism. I have carried these with me through various jobs since my years at Goucher.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a dual degree in history and archives management, Suzanna Calev \u201911<\/strong><\/span> worked in a variety of public libraries, museums, medical libraries, and academic libraries, leading to her current position as university archivist at Wilkes University. There she has built an archive from the ground up and developed a successful program training students to process archival collections. Her advice for people interested in archival work is to \u201cnetwork, collaborate, and develop good relationships with archivists across the field. \u2026 Find great mentors who will encourage and nurture your growth within the field. Keep learning, keep growing, keep being your fabulous self.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emilie Pichot \u201915<\/strong><\/span>, currently an archives and collections assistant at the Glasgow School of Art, realized that \u201cworking in libraries might be a career path when playfully wandering around the library at Goucher.\u201d As a recent graduate of the University of Strathclyde, her goal is to work in a public research setting. Deeply grateful for her critical education at Goucher, she recently published \u201cComfortable Terms: Diversity Discourse and Institutional White Supremacy in UK Libraries\u201d in Radical Librarianship Journal<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Julianna Head \u201919<\/strong><\/span> is an archivist for the government in Alabama. It took a \u201chot minute\u201d to get there as she navigated a job search complicated by COVID. A big influence on her career choice was her student work in the Goucher College Archives as well as the book studies minor. \u201cI’ve always had a fondness for history and old texts, but the Goucher Archives (and the library as a whole, really) drove home just how much I enjoy working with books, manuscripts, and everything in between. \u2026 I\u2019d do myself a disservice not to mention the year-long independent study I did with the Mencken Collection. I’ll always have a soft spot for Sara Haardt Mencken and her love letters. All the hours I spent wading through that collection was the tipping point in whether or not I wanted to brave grad school, and I’m so happy I did!\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of our Fellows are using their library training outside of traditional libraries. Teri Dorsey Rising \u201993<\/strong><\/span> worked for Mears for all four years of college, including summer. \u201cShe always knew what kind of shenanigans we were up to even when we thought we were so clever. She also knew that sometimes when we were late it was because our stress level was off the chart or there was drama in our lives. Mrs. Mears could read us like a book.\u201d Today Rising is the program manager for Baltimore County\u2019s Cultural Arts and Science program, an independent architectural historian and board member and volunteer researcher for the county historical society. \u201cThe skills I learned when it comes to conducting research, especially when it comes to finding quality and reliable sources of information, has become increasingly important in our world.\u00a0 Examining materials with a critical eye was easier when you had very clear divisions between primary and secondary sources. I think now, more than ever, librarians are important partners for information management.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caroline Thompson \u201998<\/strong><\/span> worked in the Julia Rogers Library and remembers Mears as a \u201cwarm, lovely person who was kind to us student employees and seemed to really enjoy her work as a librarian. The fellowship is such a wonderful way to honor her and share that joy of librarianship.\u201d Today, Thompson is a senior development manager for Macmillan Learning in Boston. \u201cMy job involves developing content and learning experiences for college courses in the humanities and managing other editors who do the same. My library training informs my editorial work in so many ways! Everything that I learned at Simmons about research, digital archives, metadata, indexing, and taxonomy construction comes into play on a regular basis. The program also emphasized flexibility in adapting to technological changes and new digital tools, which is certainly a valuable skill in the ever-changing landscape of higher ed (ChatGPT anyone?).\u201d<\/p>\n

As an informatics analyst with Emory University, George Peckham-Rooney \u201905<\/strong><\/span> builds research and healthcare datasets. He says, \u201cThe tenets found in librarianship can be found in many different sectors as well as within a traditional library. Be curious. Information is everywhere and is always in need of those inclined to arrange and disseminate it to those in need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johanna Goldberg \u201905<\/strong><\/span> is a \u201cresearch informationist (fancy term for reference librarian) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center,” she says, \u201cwhere I find evidence-based information for doctors, nurses, researchers, patients, and other members of the hospital community to inform patient care, publications, presentations, and grant applications. I was working for a nonprofit that focused on brain research while in library school, which led to a career in medical libraries. As an English major, I never expected this! \u2026 I learn something new every day, from trends in scientific and academic publishing to hot topics in cancer research to the best way to teach research skills via Zoom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Britt Rimmele \u201907<\/strong><\/span> works with 10th graders in the Raleigh, NC, homeschooling program Classical Conversations, where she teaches Logic, Reasoning, Latin, Western Cultural Studies, Research, and Debate. Though not a traditional setting, Rimmele’s library skills help her students every day.<\/p>\n

Jessica Garman \u201907<\/strong><\/span> is pursuing an M.S.W. to become a therapist after working in independent school libraries for 10 years. \u201cWhile the field of therapy differs from libraries, my library experience helped shape my skills and perspectives in working with diverse populations, fostering communication, and promoting lifelong learning. \u2026The library profession equips you with so many transferrable skills, like research and information literacy, organization and management, and a deep appreciation for fostering learning and community engagement that are invaluable in any profession that involves human connection and providing support. \u2026 Libraries are such a radical idea when you think about it, and one that probably if proposed today, wouldn\u2019t fly. (Free books? For everyone?) We are so lucky to have them! The library profession plays such a crucial role in society, and I\u2019m grateful for the experiences and insights it provided me. While I am currently on a different path, I remain inspired by the valuable work of librarians and the impact they have on communities\u2014I may be back one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clare Kuntz Balcer \u201915\u2019s<\/strong><\/span> interest in librarianship was sparked by her four years working at the circulation desk and two classes taught in the Special Collections classroom. While in library school, she reflected on her time volunteering with the Goucher Prison Education Partnership (GPEP) and how GPEP students pursued their research and interacted with the library. This led her to teach several information literacy sessions along with a GPEP instructor and writing an article about the experience for College and Library Research News<\/em>. Today, Balcer is a freelance researcher who assisted Dr. Nicole Fabricant with the history chapter of her book, Fighting to Breathe: Race, Toxicity, and the Rise of Youth Activism in Baltimore<\/em>. She also works as assistant producer for the podcast Congressional Dish<\/em>, where she reads bills, listens to Congressional hearings, and conducts in-depth research into a wide range of topics. \u201cI\u2019m so glad I pursued my M.L.I.S. because I would not have found the work I am doing now. I think the skills and approach that you will learn are invaluable regardless what field you might end up in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lo Smith \u201913<\/strong><\/span> is a senior programs manager with the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, supporting digital inclusion programs and policy. They transitioned into digital inclusion through a technology exchange fellowship at the Enoch Pratt Free Library with the Media Democracy Fund and the Ford Foundation. They served as Pratt\u2019s first coordinator of digital equity, developing Pratt\u2019s digital equity and inclusion strategy. They also founded the first harm-reduction initiative between Baltimore County Public Libraries and the Baltimore City Health Department and coordinated Pratt\u2019s outreach program during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith says, \u201cWork in libraries is based in compassion, active listening, and quick decision-making. We serve people, not information networks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two of our respondents are working with special and rare materials. Debra Elfenbein \u201983<\/strong><\/span> leaped from book and journal publishing into librarianship as a second career. She came to the Enoch Pratt Library after working as a dance archivist and consultant and pursuing postgraduate studies in rare books and digital humanities at UNC Chapel Hill. In her third Pratt position she is a librarian in the Special Collections Department\u2014the \u201cperfect resting place. \u2026 My last and best job.\u201d The satisfactions of work in special collections and rare books in a public library include \u201cwelcoming strangers and receiving back their softened faces, smiling; teaming with fine people to answer questions; getting and giving access to new, arcane, rare books, Edgar Allan Poe\u2019s lock of hair, and oral history digital audio kits extemporizing show & tells for tour groups, inventing new and better programs, and creating exhibits that entertain and historicize; helping organize Pratt Workers United for improved library services for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cassie Brand \u201909<\/strong><\/span> was inspired to special collections librarianship by a course with Professor Arnie Sanders. As curator of rare books at Washington University in St. Louis, she manages a collection ranging from cuneiform tablets to the present, including two original printed copies of the Declaration of Independence. She was recently involved in two repatriation projects. Working with a librarian from Prague, she determined that several of the Jewish books in the Washington University Collection had been stolen by the Nazis during World War II. She worked with Washington University to return the books to the library in Prague. Only a month after that, she was contacted by a library in Switzerland about a book that had been stolen in the 1970s. Once again, she was able to verify that the book had indeed been stolen before making its way to the WU collection. She delivered the book to the Swiss Ambassador in DC, with a signing ceremony, photo shoot, and interviews to discuss the cooperation between the libraries. Brand comments on \u201chow often I think back to what I learned at Goucher in my classes and working in the library. I am constantly pulling on that knowledge, whether it’s teaching classes, curating exhibits, working with interns, or making the best use of shelving space. I am and always will be grateful for the amazing experience, but mostly for the extreme generosity of faculty and staff as they created opportunities for me and took a great deal of time to mentor me and pass on their vast knowledge and experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Public and children\u2019s librarianship is well-represented among the Fellows. Kristy Raffensburger \u201901<\/strong><\/span> has been a children\u2019s librarian at the New York Public Library for 17 years. \u201cFor the first few years after graduation, I worked in children\u2019s book publishing. Being part of the process to help create books was thrilling but putting them in kids\u2019 hands is even more rewarding. Besides matching kids with books, I\u2019m always up for the never-ending librarian quest\u2014you know, finding the book with the bear on the cover. I think it might be blue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arnessa Jeffery Dowell \u201903<\/strong><\/span> is executive director at the Kent County Public Library System on Maryland\u2019s Eastern Shore. \u201cMy passion for books and libraries led me on a well-traveled path. I\u2019ve had the opportunity to work in various military base libraries around the world, including in Germany, Italy, and the Azores.\u201d She has held diverse positions, including being a supervisory librarian at military bases in Alaska and department manager for a public library in North Dakota. \u201cDuring \u2026 my journey, I\u2019ve come to realize that running a successful library requires more than just a love for books. It demands dedication, adaptability, and a commitment to serving the community. \u2026 Having so much wanderlust, I may never consider one place as my permanent home, but I can confidently say that the Goucher Library, where I started, will forever hold a special place in my heart\u2014a symbol of hope, comfort, and promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

While pursuing a graduate degree in contemporary communications, Abigail Lyon \u201910<\/strong><\/span> worked for Baltimore County Public Library and realized librarianship was the field she should be studying. After five years as the assistant lower school librarian at the Gilman School in Baltimore, she is now the children\u2019s librarian at the Roland Park branch of Baltimore\u2019s Enoch Pratt Free Library. \u201cAs a member of the Class of 2010, I was fortunate to use both the Julia Rogers Library and the Athenaeum for my senior year. I have such fond memories of both!\u201d Making that relationship permanent, Lyon’s name remains in the library, on a study carrel she and her mother, Lynne Sherman Lyon \u201974<\/strong><\/span>, sponsored.<\/p>\n

Kasper (formerly Camden) Kimura \u201912 <\/strong><\/span>relayed many stories of his work in public libraries, which he balances with part-time youth ministry, two roles calling for compassion, patience, and grace. He advises that one shouldn\u2019t \u201cexpect to come out of the field unchanged by the people you work with and meet. \u2026 You’re interacting with strangers all day with the expectation of being unerringly helpful and nice; it can be very draining but there are so many small joys to be found in the work\u2014the regulars who are excited to show pictures of their new grandbabies or the teens who look at me and trust me not to judge them when they ask for books with LGBTQ characters. Also, don’t go into public libraries expecting a nice quiet space. \u2026 Maybe it’s because I work in the youth division, but if there’s no one screaming their head off about Peppa Pig, I’m like, What’s going on, where is everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n

Beck Fink \u201920<\/strong><\/span> is a children\u2019s librarian in Massachusetts. They started on an archives path but discovered they enjoyed engaging with young patrons and so applied for youth services positions after graduation. \u201cI\u2019m really glad I did because I love working in a children\u2019s room and enjoy all the different and creative work I get to do. It\u2019s just so rewarding to see kids engaging with your programs. \u2026 I miss my time at Goucher; I enjoyed opening the library Saturday mornings and learning the faces of the student body. One of the most incredible things about the job is getting to know your patrons one checkout at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interest in the fund and the profession continues. Among the newest cohort is Kathleen McGill Wyer \u201902<\/strong><\/span>, who will complete her M.L.I.S. studies at St. John’s University this fall, including the Advanced Certificate in Social Justice for Information Professionals. With extensive experience in public behavioral health systems and inspired by the many services available at the Enoch Pratt Library, she plans a career in public libraries. \u201cI’m grateful that this fellowship exists and that I’m among its numbers,” she says. “It speaks to the Goucher community and its commitment to lifelong learning and development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mears would have been delighted with how many of the recipients of the fund were former student workers. From 2000 until his death this past spring, Tom Minnema supervised those students. Though he never met Mears, Minnema had a similar impact on students. Johanna Goldberg \u201905<\/strong><\/span> says, \u201cAll libraries should have managers with the sense of humor, unwavering support, and warmth that Tom showed to everyone who stepped through the library door, especially the student workers.\u201d Goldberg could have been describing Mears.<\/p>\n

The Mears family has appreciated hearing these stories as evidence of the impact of their fund. Goucher has been a family affair for them; Mears\u2019 children Jon and Susan took classes and her sister, Bertha DeGraw Miller, also worked for the college. And the connection continues with her granddaughter, Audrey Betley \u201925<\/strong><\/span>, who is currently a third-year psychology major.<\/p>\n

Read more about the Mears Fund<\/a> on the library home page. We are proud to be co-managers of the fund and look forward to working with more future librarians.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For students who used the Julia Rogers Library between 1977 and 1996, Io DeGraw Mears was often the first face they saw.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":360,"featured_media":4695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[87510],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[87516,87515],"class_list":["post-4716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"yoast_head":"\nTwenty-Five Years of Mears Fellows | Goucher Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For students who used the Julia Rogers Library between 1977 and 1996, Io DeGraw Mears was often the first face they saw.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Twenty-five years of Mears Fellows\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For students who used the Julia Rogers Library between 1977 and 1996, Io DeGraw Mears was often the first face they saw.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Goucher Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-19T23:02:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-23T19:28:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2024\/01\/Mears.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nancy Magnuson, college librarian emerita,, Margie Simon \u201975\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Twenty-five years of Mears Fellows\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"For students who used the Julia Rogers Library between 1977 and 1996, Io DeGraw Mears was often the first face they saw.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2024\/01\/Mears.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tara de Souza\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"16 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tara de Souza\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e8ca75ca527294e105caf6b150a18052\"},\"headline\":\"Twenty-Five Years of Mears Fellows\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-19T23:02:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-23T19:28:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":3575,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/files\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/Mears.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Features\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\\\/\",\"name\":\"Twenty-Five Years of Mears Fellows | Goucher Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/files\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/Mears.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-19T23:02:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-23T19:28:25+00:00\",\"description\":\"For students who used the Julia Rogers Library between 1977 and 1996, Io DeGraw Mears was often the first face they saw.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/files\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/Mears.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/files\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/Mears.jpg\",\"width\":1800,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"A group of Mears Fellows standing in the atrium of the Athenaeum.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Twenty-five years of Mears Fellows\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/\",\"name\":\"Goucher Magazine\",\"description\":\"The magazine for Goucher College's alumnae\\\/i since 1921.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Goucher College\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/G_logo.gif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/G_logo.gif\",\"width\":300,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"Goucher College\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e8ca75ca527294e105caf6b150a18052\",\"name\":\"Tara de Souza\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a1f39100df37bd699c95e0f283984c98f4257407aa643a651de57ffb7c62cd35?s=96&d=mm&r=gab724ad306da8bdd6f1edd26c3a92644\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a1f39100df37bd699c95e0f283984c98f4257407aa643a651de57ffb7c62cd35?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a1f39100df37bd699c95e0f283984c98f4257407aa643a651de57ffb7c62cd35?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tara de Souza\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.goucher.edu\\\/magazine\\\/author\\\/tades001\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Twenty-Five Years of Mears Fellows | Goucher Magazine","description":"For students who used the Julia Rogers Library between 1977 and 1996, Io DeGraw Mears was often the first face they saw.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Twenty-five years of Mears Fellows","og_description":"For students who used the Julia Rogers Library between 1977 and 1996, Io DeGraw Mears was often the first face they saw.","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/","og_site_name":"Goucher Magazine","article_published_time":"2024-01-19T23:02:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-23T19:28:25+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1800,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2024\/01\/Mears.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Nancy Magnuson, college librarian emerita,, Margie Simon \u201975","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Twenty-five years of Mears Fellows","twitter_description":"For students who used the Julia Rogers Library between 1977 and 1996, Io DeGraw Mears was often the first face they saw.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2024\/01\/Mears.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tara de Souza","Est. reading time":"16 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/"},"author":{"name":"Tara de Souza","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/e8ca75ca527294e105caf6b150a18052"},"headline":"Twenty-Five Years of Mears Fellows","datePublished":"2024-01-19T23:02:47+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-23T19:28:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/"},"wordCount":3575,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2024\/01\/Mears.jpg","articleSection":["Features"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/","name":"Twenty-Five Years of Mears Fellows | Goucher Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2024\/01\/Mears.jpg","datePublished":"2024-01-19T23:02:47+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-23T19:28:25+00:00","description":"For students who used the Julia Rogers Library between 1977 and 1996, Io DeGraw Mears was often the first face they saw.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2024\/01\/Mears.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2024\/01\/Mears.jpg","width":1800,"height":900,"caption":"A group of Mears Fellows standing in the atrium of the Athenaeum."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/twenty-five-years-of-mears-fellows\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Twenty-five years of Mears Fellows"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/","name":"Goucher Magazine","description":"The magazine for Goucher College's alumnae\/i since 1921.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#organization","name":"Goucher College","url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2018\/02\/G_logo.gif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/files\/2018\/02\/G_logo.gif","width":300,"height":150,"caption":"Goucher College"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/#\/schema\/person\/e8ca75ca527294e105caf6b150a18052","name":"Tara de Souza","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a1f39100df37bd699c95e0f283984c98f4257407aa643a651de57ffb7c62cd35?s=96&d=mm&r=gab724ad306da8bdd6f1edd26c3a92644","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a1f39100df37bd699c95e0f283984c98f4257407aa643a651de57ffb7c62cd35?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a1f39100df37bd699c95e0f283984c98f4257407aa643a651de57ffb7c62cd35?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Tara de Souza"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/author\/tades001\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":87516,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"nancy-magnuson-college-librarian-emerita","display_name":"Nancy Magnuson, college librarian emerita,","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""},{"term_id":87515,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"margie-simon-75","display_name":"Margie Simon \u201975","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/360"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4716"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6067,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4716\/revisions\/6067"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4716"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.goucher.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=4716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}