Larry amongst the Stacks

Larry Alford is leaving UNC’s Libraries after 30+ years there. Any one who has had the pleasure of working with Larry understands what a loss this is to the UNC community and what a great gain Larry’s move to Philly and to Temple will be. One does not make an appointment with Mr. Alford or with Larry Alford. One makes an appointment with Larry. There is no other Larry.

I wish him the very best and we all will miss him. There is little, if anything, that has to do with the Academic Libraries that has not felt Larry’s intelligent touch.

In related news, Herald Sun copyeditors implicitly accuse UNC of breaking child labor laws. “New chapter for librarian: Alford, 45, to lead Temple Univserity’s system” says the headline. Larry may look and feel 45, but he is 54. If he had started in the Libraries at age 15 or less… The great pictures of Larry do make him look as young as he probably feels.