Meet Louise Beardwood

While the Library Company depends on financial support from individuals, foundations, and other sources to maintain our standards as one of the country’s preeminent research libraries, a dedicated corps of volunteers makes equally valuable contributions. Mrs. Louise Beardwood, a retired librarian, spends one morning a week in the Print Department, researching hard-to-identify images, conducting searches of the catalogs, and entering information about readers and reproduction rights into a database. Along with her professional skills, Mrs. Beardwood brings a willingness to be helpful in any capacity, which makes her a particularly invaluable volunteer. Although she’s not sure just how long she’s been volunteering at the Library Company, Mrs. Beardwood knows what keeps her coming back. “The women in the Print room,” she says, “are unfailingly considerate, polite, charming, and attentive to the needs of their readers.”

Volunteer Louise Beardwood (r) speaks with Curator of Prints and Photographs Sarah Weatherwax

For more information about volunteer opportunities at the Library Company contact Membership and Development Coordinator Emily O’Rourke at eorourke@librarycompany.org or consult the current listing of open volunteer opportunities.