Stacks and Study Carrels
Computer stations and Reference Desk
Library Cat - see next tab
Powwow at the Redwood Campus - 1990
View from lobby
Library Staff (ca1996) - Smokey Cardoza (Library Cat), Mary Pierce (Reference Librarian), Katie Morgan (Acquisitions Specialist), Marian McCollum, (Library Services Specialist), Bonnie Duarte (Circulation Library Clerk).
Fran Cardoza was one of the RCC library’s long-time employees.
Fran first worked at Jackson County Library in 1978 after being the last cohort at University of Oregon's library school. She switched to Rogue Community College's library in 1980 as the library director until her retirement in 1997. She later came out of retirement and served as a part-time reference librarian at the Redwood campus until 2014.
Fran was an amazing story-teller and had a great sense of humor. She grew up in the Bay Area in the 1960s, and could relate incredible, hilarious stories about that time and place: from seeing bands at the Fillmore to what Halloween was like in a big city in the 60s.
What Fran loved best was to laugh, smile, and create fun. When she worked at Jackson County Library, she got in trouble for yelling Ollie-Ollie-Oxen-Free and she told everyone she had a curse on her desk. At RCC, Fran tried to figure out if a new printer cart could work as a luge sled (see photo below).
At RCC library, she found shot glasses and bottles of alcohol in the library. When she placed them in a drawer, the custodians found them, thought she was a secret drinker, and turned her in. Fran also got in trouble for wearing blue jeans while setting up the book sale on the upper patio.
In 1993, Fran fought to have Smokey Cardoza become their library cat, getting permission when she showed them that library cats were common in libraries. She became the designated person for Smokey’s visits to the vet, so Smokey took her name.
Fran was the longest ever serving Library Director at RCC.