Bob Madden is a Reference Librarian. His responsibilities include the administration of the Preston Room and college archives materials. He serves as library liaison to the Computer Science, Geography, History, and Mathematics disciplines.

Office: Mason Library Phone: 603-358-2717 e-mail: rmadden@keene.edu

Education:
Master of Science, Syracuse University, 1973 (Library Science)
Master of Arts, Brooklyn College, 1970 (English)
Bachelor of Arts, Brooklyn College, 1966 (English)

Previous professional positions:
Kean College of New Jersey - Reference and Special Collections
Hofstra University - Reference

The Head of Reference at Hofstra had an apartment overlooking the Hudson River, so I worked at Hofstra until after Op Sail in 1976. Then I started as the only reference librarian at the Mason Library on Monday, July 19. At the time there were only four professional librarians (two-thirds the size of the reference staff at Hofstra). Much has changed since then, including trading in our old card catalog for Keene-Link and expanding the resources of the library through electronic databases and the Internet.

I added responsibility for the Special Collections of the library after we were able to add two more librarians, each of whom served as reference librarian and had another major responsibility.

The Special Collections of the Mason Library began with the Harry B. Preston Collection of New Hampshire history, authors, and imprints, named for a professor whose courses included New Hampshire history and literature. Part of that collection concerned the history of this institution, through its years as Keene Normal School, Keene Teachers College, and Keene State College. With collected material from the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, the Office of College Relations, and the Office of the President, we have begun to expand that portion of the collection into the College Archives.