Sy het eintlik \u201cheel toevallig\u201d in die biblioteekwese beland, maar van die eerste dag wat Wilhelmina Whitman (toe vars van die skoolbanke) by die Ravensmead-biblioteek begin werk het, het die passie begin groei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verlede week het die Kuilsrivier-biblioteek afskeid geneem van Whitman (60), die hoofbibliotekaresse van die afgelope sewe jaar. Donderdag 30 Junie was haar laaste werksdag n\u00e1 \u2019n loopbaan van 42 jaar tussen die boekrakke. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sy kon werk tot 65, \u201cmaar ek wil nie krom wees nie\u201d, s\u00ea sy oor die besluit om die blad om te slaan vir die eerste hoofstuk van aftrede.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whitman vertel die toeval het dit so bestem dat sy n\u00e1 \u2019n onenigheid met die raad dat sy verskoning moet gaan vra, ook van die pos by die Ravensmead-biblioteek gehoor het. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vir die onderhoud by die destydse Parow-munisipaliteit was daar \u2019n paneel van sowat 20 mense, onder wie die stadsklerk, onthou sy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sy het dadelik tuis gevoel en s\u00ea vir haar was dit altyd, \u201ceerste mense, dan boeke\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEk het \u2019n natuurlike aanvoeling vir mense. Vir my gaan dit oor help waar jy kan. Ek kan \u2019n behoefte gou identifiseer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
S\u00f3 is vrywilligers met potensiaal, wat sy aangespoor het om kwalifikasies te kry, aangestel. Nie almal het teruggekom om dankie te s\u00ea nie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Een wat vir haar uitstaan, is Bronwyn Mogapi. \u201cSy het my na haar gradeplegtigheid genooi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
N\u00e1 26 jaar by die Ravensmead-biblioteek is sy na die Adriaanse-biblioteek in Clarke Estate. \u201cDie nege jaar daar was die hoogtepunt van my loopbaan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whitman s\u00ea hoewel \u2019n mens kan dink dit is onveilig, was die gemeenskap baie beskermend en die biblioteek soos \u2019n oase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Adriaanse het sy \u2019n senior bibliotekaresse geword. Kort voor sy daar weg is, het di\u00e9 biblioteek drie toekennings gekry. Die eerste, waarvoor sy die nominasie geskryf het, was \u2019n nasionale kompetisie waarin hulle bekroon is as die \u201cbeste mediumgrootte openbare biblioteek\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNet daarna het ons \u2019n kli\u00ebntediens-toekenning vir biblioteke en nog een vir dienslewering van die subraad ontvang.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Op di\u00e9 hoogtepunt, en ook op 30 Junie in 2015, het sy Adriaanse gegroet en die Kuilsrivier-biblioteek se hoof-bibliotekaresse geword.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In die tyd by Adriaanse het Whitman deeltydse studies aangepak. In 2012 op 50 kry sy haar B.Bib graad \u2013 omstreeks dieselfde tyd as haar dogter, Kim, wat \u2019n LLB-graad voltooi het. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Een van die vreemdste herinneringe het by die Kuilsrivier-biblioteek gebeur toe iemand kom s\u00ea het daar is iets vreemds aan die gang. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToe ons gaan kyk, sit daar \u2019n man poedelnakend op sy knie\u00eb. Ons het die polisie gekry om hom hier uit te vergesel.\u201d Sielkundig was \u2019n skroef los en Whitman s\u00ea daar is baie mense \u201cmet uitdagings\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2019n Plaaslike hoogtepunt was die Kuilsrivier-biblioteek se 60ste verjaarsdag in 2017, wat oor twee dae gevier is met \u2019n formele geleentheid met eregaste, asook \u2019n kermis en markdag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whitman is onlangs op die Vriende van Kuilsrivier-biblioteek, \u2019n ondersteuningsgroep, se jaarvergadering as ondervoorsitter verkies. \u201cEk kan nie net hierdie passie verlore laat gaan nie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tydens die pandemie het baie van die biblioteek se projekte bietjie platgeval, s\u00ea sy. Die breigroep kom nou weer bymekaar en doen \u2019n weeklikse uitreik na Happy Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Terwyl Whitman Vrydag besig was om kantoor op te pak het TygerBurger<\/span> met Patricia Blouw, Charleen Willemse (albei assistent-bibliotekaresse) en Pearl Ngobeni (kinderbibliotekaresse) agter die toonbank gesels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2019n Wilde-mina,\u201d het Blouw met \u2019n laggie ges\u00ea oor die idees waarmee Whitman vorendag sou kom. \u201cSy staan vir niks terug nie.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Willemse het beaam: \u201c\u2019n Go-getter<\/span>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hulle gaan haar onthou vir haar menslikheid, iemand wat altyd bereid was om te luister en niemand sou wegwys nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Blouw vertel \u201cnet toe Covid so bietjie begin lig het\u201d, het \u2019n taamlik verslonste man by die biblioteek ingekom en Whitman vir \u2019n drukkie gevra. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSonder dat sy hom skeef aangekyk het, gee sy hom toe \u2019n drukkie. Dit het sy dag gemaak. Hy het hier uitgestap met so \u2019n bre\u00eb smile<\/em>. Hy het ges\u00ea hy kon nie glo dat so \u2019n mooi vrou vir hom \u2019n drukkie gegee het nie.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Die personeel gaan haar baie mis. Haar deur was altyd oop \u2013 nie net vir raad oor werk nie, maar ook persoonlike goed, s\u00ea hulle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whitman was gesteld daarop dat dinge reg gedoen moet word, maar sou dit op \u2019n mooi manier oordra. \u201cAs jy nie \u2019n ding die eerste keer verstaan nie, sou sy twee, drie, vier keer weer verduidelik. En as jy nog nie verstaan het nie, kom maar weer terug,\u201d s\u00ea Blouw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Al was Whitman die oudste, s\u00ea die personeel sy was die mees bedrewe met rekenaars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sy het hulle bemoedig deur te s\u00ea: \u201cJy leer soos jy aangaan, elke dag, en ons leer van mekaar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quinton Silvester, sekerheidswag, s\u00ea Whitman is \u2019n baie goeie vrou met \u2019n baie goeie hart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDaar was \u2019n tyd toe ek \u2019n stroke<\/span> gehad het \u2013 sy het gekom van haar huis af en my Tygerberg-hospitaal toe geneem. Dit was nie eintlik haar plig nie; sy het my baie verras.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ook vir hom was sy daar om te luister en raad te gee. \u201cAs ek \u2019n probleempie het, dan sorteer sy altyd my probleempies uit. Ek gaan haar verskriklik mis \u2013 ons almal, die hele Kuilsrivier gaan haar mis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silvester s\u00ea omdat \u2019n mens nie net kan ontvang nie, het hy ook probeer om Whitman \u201cop die hande te dra, soos sy met ons maak\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zach Rawoot, biblioteekassistent, s\u00ea vir hom staan Whitman se passie vir mense uit. \u201cSy het altyd \u2019n simpatieke oor en \u2019n bre\u00eb skouer. Ek dink nie daar was al ooit iemand wat sonder \u2019n glimlag by die biblioteek weg is nadat Wilhelmina met hulle gesels het nie.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Daar was verlede week heelwat trane en veral die laaste werksdag het swaar op haar hart gedruk. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sy het eintlik \u201cheel toevallig\u201d in die biblioteekwese beland, maar van die eerste dag wat Wilhelmina Whitman (toe vars van die skoolbanke) by die Ravensmead-biblioteek begin werk het, het die passie begin 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