Roy,
you'll always be one of my library heroes. Thank you for sharing this. It brings back memories of teaching Gopher at the Palo Alto Libraries in the early 1990s, learning Hypercard in library school at San Jose State in the mid-nineties, and teaching my profs how to use a little Unix and vi for email there. Wild West indeed.
-Margaret
Margaret Alexander | Discovery Librarian (she/hers)
University of Oregon | Libraries
Knight Library | 1501 Kincaid St 97403-1299
541-346-1864 (vm)
malexan4_at_uoregon.edu | uoregon.edu
Please note: I work M-F, 8-4:30 PST, several days from home
-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries <CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG> On Behalf Of Roy Tennant
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2025 9:18 PM
To: CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG
Subject: [CODE4LIB] The Days of Lines and Hoses
Dear Code4Lib Friends,
I retired in 2018. Despite thinking that I would keep my hand in with libraries I instead dropped it like a hot rock, and went back to the outdoors. I guided on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon three times in the last four years, and am doing trail maintenance on three, and soon to be four, public parks in Sonoma Valley, California.
I haven't left technology completely, however, as I've developed and continue to maintain a bespoke database for our local human services non-profit in Filemaker Pro and I also do digitization, controlled vocabulary maintenance, and digitization for our local history organization in *cough* PastPerfect. It is what it is.
I've also focused on writing a set of autobiographical essays since I believe that I've led a rather strange and lucky life. Five of the essays have been published. I recently wrote one that I thought *American
Libraries* might be interested in, but apparently not, and I'm not sure where else to submit it, so instead of going after a publishing venue, I've decided to share it with you, who would be best positioned to appreciate it, link below. I hope you enjoy it. If you don't, don't tell me. I'm retired and don't harsh my mellow. LOL. Love, Roy
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://drive.google.com/file/d/16r6dHRuUTLRGSg9y2AOtz85jgZZn-1U3/view?usp=sharing__;!!C5qS4YX3!D1yctIRA-wECggoNw6jbsaxeO5TDci19O_xk597nE6xaLId8sQG4ZTD6RK6I8RGQUkenB7UY1JB8PVmgIz3dIEM$
Received on Wed Oct 15 2025 - 18:40:52 EDT