Most CWU students come and go from the library for a variety of reasons. Some meet up in the fishbowl to study with peers, some need to put ink to paper at the printers and others just like a quiet space in which to appreciate literature. One thing ties all of these goals together; walking past the front desk. According to Twitter user “tbeez_55,” “The guy who works at the front desk of Central’s library is easily [one of the] top five nicest people ever.”

The guy in question is Tom Dell Jr., who works as a shift supervisor at the circulation desk, in addition to being in charge of the interlibrary loan department. He has seen the library change a lot over the 22 years he’s worked there, and so far, enjoys his work.

“It’s really cool. We get a lot of rare things that you can’t get hardly anywhere, and we also loan some of our rare things to other places, so it’s really nice to be able to help people with their research,” Dell Jr. said.

In general, Dell Jr. feels that a lot of his job satisfaction comes from helping others accomplish their academic goals. As a former philosophy major at CWU, he’s no stranger to poring over old books and articles in the attempt to glean knowledge from the resources at the library. The logic and problem-solving aspects of philosophy have helped him in his current position as well, though according to him, the deep thinking parts of the discipline are reserved for those who come to the library for information, as opposed to those who come to provide it.

Dell Jr. graduated CWU in 2000, but decided to stay in Ellensburg, mostly because he had no real reason to leave. His kids were going to school locally, and he already had the job at the library locked down.

“I didn’t really have any impetus to leave, or to move. It’s a good job, and I like my coworkers,” Dell Jr. said.

Having been on campus every week for over 20 years, Dell Jr. has seen a lot of changes take place. Chief among them is the student population, which has risen dramatically since the mid-1990s. One thing that hasn’t expanded is the library, which hasn’t increased in size since Dell  Jr. started working there in 1997.

“Unfortunately, I think we’re on the list to get a new building, but, you know, we’re kind of down on that list,” Dell Jr. said.

That’s not to say that the library hasn’t evolved in function over the years. Student needs have changed a lot over the last 20 years, and the biggest resource for information on campus has had to change along with them.

“A lot of the change in the library has been technological,” Dell Jr. said. “When I first started working here, the internet was basically in its infancy, so things have gotten a lot more online over the years.”

When Dell Jr. first started working at the circulation desk, the most frequently checked out resources were articles from news publications. Now, its MacBooks.

Mitch Vandeman, a fourth-year communications major, works with Dell Jr., and sees him as a valuable asset for the library.

“He has a pretty quick sense of humor, and he’s pretty friendly with students,” Vandeman said. “He’s pretty knowledgeable about a lot of things that happen around the library.”

Dell Jr. said that there are many things that students aren’t aware are of offered in the library, such as audio/visual equipment available for checkout, specialized light treatment boxes designed to alleviate seasonal affective disorder and GoPro cameras.

Dell Jr. works at the library most days, and is available to help students find exactly the resource they need, whatever that need may be.