Cheryl Landry, Librarian, Musician
Born and raised in Charlottetown, PEI, my first love was classical music. From joining my church choir at age six, to playing clarinet in my school bands, I lived for that magical feeling when an ensemble performance was greater than the sum of its parts. Playing music and teaching band seemed like the coolest jobs ever! So, I pursued a Bachelor of Music Education at UPEI, followed by a Masters in Clarinet Performance at Western University. During these years, I was a two- time Principal Clarinetist in the National Youth Band of Canada, and the winner of the Suzanne Brenton Memorial Award in the PEI Music Festival, which gave me the opportunity to perform a solo concerto with the PEI Symphony. I also represented PEI at the National Music Festival.
Ironically, despite my investment in music, I came to a crossroads after my Masters. My introverted personality was not actually a fit for teaching large groups of kids (especially with blaring trumpets and banging drums!). Nor did I enjoy the constant butterflies of regular solo performance. I needed a calmer day-to-day experience.
This led me to Librarianship. I completed my Masters in Library and Information Science at Western University in 2005, and in 2006, after short term jobs with the federal government and Western’s Music Library, I travelled to Victoria to take a position at GVPL. I never expected to end up SOOO far away from my family and I missed them terribly, but it was exactly what I needed; the space to grow into my authentic self and develop independence.
Initially, I bought music for the library collection, taught small technology classes, and provided daily reference service. It was a perfect fit as it blended both sides of my background. A highlight was creating a Local Music Collection and organizing the accompanying GVPL Local Musicfest concerts to showcase Vancouver Island talent. As my position evolved, I became a leader in redesigning GVPL’s security and incident management procedures, including presenting “Library Security as Customer Service”, at the Vancouver Island Library Staff Conference. This security experience has empowered me to stay grounded and communicate effectively with our patrons when they are having moments of disruptiveness or anger.
Currently, I am, along with my colleagues, reimagining library services to align with our new Covid normal.
Has it been a calmer experience though? Not exactly! From bustling children’s areas (pre-Covid), to questions like “I’d like to find a book I borrowed last year – it has a red cover…” , to helping patrons find information on sensitive health concerns, to the excitement of solving that pesky digital ebook problem (sometimes blindly, over the phone!), to observing firsthand the effects of community issues such as homelessness and opioid addiction, the library is a very active, supportive place that’s open to everyone - no “shushing” here! While it can still be a lot for my introverted nature sometimes, it’s rewarding to find that needle in a haystack, and a privilege to assist patrons with their information needs.
Librarianship has given me something I wouldn’t have found in music: curiosity, the ability to ask effective questions and find answers, expanded empathy and non-judgement, and finally, my values of intellectual freedom and life-long learning.
I don’t know if I will always be a Librarian, but I do know that I “got what I needed” in becoming one.
In my free time, you can usually find me thinking about or engaging in a creative pursuit like photography, greeting card design, makeup artistry, or throwing the fridge contents into a “let us pray” dinner. I have recently learned the joy of Netflix binge watching as well, and highly recommend The Crown, Unorthodox, Stranger Things, and The Rain.
I am most known, both personally and professionally, for my attention to detail and thoughtful approach to life. I have always been able to “see things through to the end”; meaning, I have an instinct that allows me to predict the viability and outcome of new ideas and the steps needed to accomplish them.
Perhaps I can help you find your answers -- or at least ask the right questions.
“We may not get what we want, but we will always get what we need.”
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