NEWS
Emeriti Spotlight: Anne Page Mosby Reflects on Her Time at Georgia State
In this edition of the Emeriti Spotlight series, we spoke with Anne Page Mosby, a librarian associate professor emerita at Georgia State. She shared her memories, achievements, and hopes for the university in a conversation reflecting on her time at the university and the impact of libraries in the academic community.
–Jeremy Craig, Communications Manager for the Office of the Provost
Q: Can you share more about your time at Georgia State University and your role within the library?
A: When I retired I had worked at Georgia State for 25 years and previously at Florida State University for 5 years. My professional career included experience as a reference librarian and as liaison to some of the social science departments to develop the collection and to teach classes on use of library resources.
Q: What first attracted you to Georgia State?
A: After graduate schooI I had been in Tallahassee for five years, with two of those years in Italy as a librarian for the Florida State University study abroad program in Florence. I had attended graduate school at Emory University to get my master’s degree, and I really liked the Atlanta area. Through a friend, I found out that there was an opening at Georgia State.
I was drawn by what I had heard about Dr. Ralph Russell, who was director of the library at that time. He and Dr. Carolyn Robeson led the administrative office and oversaw the varied work of the library. Dr. Russell was the kind of leader who encouraged us to be active in professional organizations, and to engage in research, publishing and creative activity. There are opportunities for librarians to enjoy a wide variety of things, and that was made possible in the university library.
Q: What keeps you connected to the university as a professor emerita?
A: I like the urban environment, the diverse student population and the multiple academic offerings. I’m just attracted to the educational environment in general.
Additionally, my husband, Jay [Haney], and I met at Georgia State. He got his MBA at GSU and he was working downtown at C&S Bank. He has continued an interest in Georgia State as well.
Q: What advice would you give to newly emeriti faculty?
A: This would be a librarian’s advice: be a lifetime, lifelong learner, and stay involved. One example is something I led for six years — I identified faculty members in the university who had recently published a book, and invited them to come and talk to GSU emeriti about their book.
Q: What are your hopes for the future of the university?
A: I have a saying that no matter what department you graduate from, everybody graduates from the library. Library resources can help a person develop over the years, and it’s a path to learning. So, I would like to see good support of the library.
Q: What are your thoughts on the shift towards more digital resources in the library?
A: I started my career in the 1970s, and there were few computers used in the library. Now, you see a lot of really incredible, curious, and creative activity going on using them. I would also advocate for more digitization, such as with the university archives and special collections. Having something freely, and openly available like that would be wonderful.
Q: Any final thoughts you’d like to share?
A: Libraries are more than just places to find books—they’re places to concentrate, to think, and to grow intellectually.