My tenure became official today.  It was a long process—nearly ten years—that included a return to graduate school.  My second interview was on September 10, 2001.  The next day was 9/11; a few weeks later I had made the move from public to academic librarianship at a campus in downtown Brooklyn nearly within sight of downtown Manhattan.

A decade is a pretty good slice of life.  When I began here I was single; now I am married and my father passed away in the meantime.  Last November I walked my acceptance of tenure letter down to the administrative office on what would have been his seventy-first birthday.  I’ve gotten a lot of help and advice from friends and colleagues over the years.  I have been especially fortunate to have a department chair who has supported me throughout the process.

It’s a beginning as much as an end.  The work goes on.  The new academic year started this week and I already have a number of projects in the works, which I will share on the blog.  Now is an interesting time with the sesquicentennial in full swing.  We will see what the future brings.