James R. Kelly, the little-known humanities bibliographer at the University of Massachusetts, works on campus choosing books for students and faculty in subjects including English, communication, journalism and history.
Kelly works in room 1967 of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library to make sure faculty and students have the books and periodicals they need for their research and classwork.
Kelly majored in English at the State University of New York Brockport. During this time, he made three lifelong friends, whose pictures sit in a frame on his bookshelf. He spent one year in Sherwood Forest, England, studying abroad.
"It was the best year of my life, but don't tell my wife," said Kelly.
After graduation, Kelly was accepted to the University of Chicago graduate school to study 20th-century prose fiction. Only five out of 75 students graduated from the program. Kelly stayed in the program only one year, not realizing how competitive it was.
In 1973, Kelly moved back to Rochester, New York, where he worked as a law clerk. He also met the woman who would become his first wife. She suggested Kelly become a librarian.
"You like books," she said. "Ever consider being a librarian?"
Kelly took her advice and enrolled in the library school at SUNY Geneseo in the fall of 1973, earning his MLS degree in 1974.
Kelly had several jobs over the next 15 years. He worked at a Roman Catholic Seminary in Rochester for four years and the College of William and Mary from 1978 to 1980.
Kelly and his wife moved to Texas in 1980, where he enrolled in the Library Science Ph.D Program at the University of Texas. He then spent his last year in Texas as a proofreader for the Texas Legislative Council.
"Strangest job I've ever had … dull, ultimately," he said.
In 1983, his marriage broke up and Kelly moved to Washington D.C., where he catalogued for the University of Maryland. He worked there for five years, all the while trying to become a reference librarian.
After, he worked at George Washington University for six years, where he was in charge of purchasing books. Toward the end of the six years, Kelly worked at the reference desk, a position he really wanted.
In December 1983, Kelly met his current wife, Carol, at a party in Canada. She teaches culinary arts at vocational high schools and has two children, who were young at the time when the couple met and grew up with Kelly as their stepfather. The grown children now live in Belchertown and Florence, not far from Kelly and his wife in South Deerfield.
Kelly first worked for the Du Bois library as a cataloguer, but within a year became a bibliographer and reference librarian.
In addition to these positions, Kelly is a professor of library science at Simmons University. He also teaches at the University of Rhode Island during his summers and is co-editor of the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature.
A humanities bibliographer, Kelly wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to a strong cup of Gevalia coffee, then is off to UMass for another day on floor 19.
"Every day, I'm happier with my job," says Kelly.
Be the first to comment on this article!