Sandi Thompson, head librarian of the Ambler Campus Library, finished her 55th year with Temple University last fall.

In 1984, Thompson arrived at Temple University Ambler after earning her MS in library science at Drexel University. According to an article honoring her service, she first began as a bibliographic assistant at the former Paley Library on Main Campus in 1969.

“My first job was behind the scenes, not face-to-face, and I soon realized I missed person-to-person contact,” she said. “In the Business Library, I was a bibliographic assistant working with three professional librarians. That was public-facing and that was when I knew that this is what I was meant to do.”

Her tenure’s highlights include building a historical archive of the Ambler Campus, preserving key documents, photographs and memories of the campus and the former Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women (PSHW), which preceded Temple Ambler. She was also an integral part in the research and development of historical content for anniversaries of the PSHW and Ambler’s campus of Temple, as well as the book A Century of Cultivation 1911 to 2011—100 Years from the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women to Temple University Ambler.

“At Main Campus, at Ambler, I have had this wonderful opportunity to really relate to our students, to the faculty and my colleagues; to get to know them on campus and acknowledge their contributions and have them acknowledge me as well,” she said. “In my time here, my goal has been to help students find the right resources they need or help them discover where their interests truly lie. Hopefully I’ve helped faculty members find new ways to discover information or pushed them in a different direction to help them make their classes come alive.”

Check out the video of Thompson reflecting on her career:

Photo: Joseph V. Labolito, Temple Ambler