Acquisitions Coordinator
Sustainability is a concept very much in vogue these days. Most
frequently used in the context of our exterior physical environment, it is being used increasingly as a guiding principle for one’s interior
world. Mary Andrick is a strong believer in managing sustainability in
one’s personal life.
As a mother of five now-grown children who divorced 20 years ago, Mary
learned long ago to make difficult choices, to deal with stress, and to
develop character within herself and within her children while finding
balance and sustainability in all their lives. Indeed, she lists as her
top personal achievement in life the raising of five children to be
well-developed, independent, high-achieving people with love for life
and for others. One daughter is a counselor and social worker, another
is a legal researcher, and among her three sons one finds a special
education teacher and high school coach, a technologist, and a medical
school student. All, she feels strongly, have discovered balance and
meaning in their lives.
Mary Andrick came to us only a year-and-a-half ago, accepting the
position of acquisitions coordinator in Library Technical Services.
Prior to that she worked in medical libraries in Michigan and Las Vegas
before seeking comparable work in this region to be close to a daughter
living in Seattle. Mary was born and raised in Kentucky, the daughter
of a Southern Baptist minister, but she and a cousin moved to Michigan
at a young age to explore the world a bit. And so she has.
It is stressful working in technical services these days, a unit under
constant pressure from changing technology, relentless demand for both
print and digital information resources, and the challenges of recent
staff turn-over. But according to Mary, it’s nothing with which one who
has successfully raised five children can’t cope. “Growth, reflection,
not dwelling on mistakes, perseverance – they all contribute to
character and they all enable sustainability during tough times.”
And what does Mary do for fun? “I sleep a lot,” she says, with a wink
and an indication of one other important ingredient for achieving
a sustainable life in modern times.