Linda McCammon: Terwilliger Plaza Member
Linda McCammon
Terwilliger Plaza Member
What brought you to Portland?
I was raised in Seattle and came to Portland to attend Lewis & Clark. I never left.
What did you study at Lewis & Clark?
I received my undergraduate in education, and soon after began working as a classroom teacher at Ascension Elementary. Two years later I went back to college for a master’s in education, with a certificate in library studies from Portland State University.
This is when your career as a librarian began.
After completing my studies at Portland State University, I began working in the David Douglas School District, Elementary K6. I was a librarian for 24 years, and a classroom teacher for six years in the middle of my career as a school librarian. It was a wonderful range of students, both in age and exposure to libraries and books.
Some kindergartners had never handled a book, or been to a library, while others were already reading. It was important to make all the children feel comfortable and happy and learn to love literature. We taught them how to use a computer, do a search, and how to evaluate sources. We also worked with the teachers and parents. It was great fun.
What prompted you to get a second master’s degree, your MBA?
While at David Douglas, in the early 1970’s there was a strike, which was very difficult and emotional. There were these three brand new teachers, all very promising and wonderful educators who stayed and worked. When the strike was over they finished out the year and then, were gone. In my opinion, the administration used them and then kicked them out the door. It made me realize that it would be good to have a backup plan, with credentials to do something besides teach and be a school librarian.
Although, for the remainder of my career I stayed at David Douglas as a librarian. It was a great experience. After working at a school for almost three decades, you know all the children and their parents. You even know the children of the children that you use to know.
You remained involved in libraries after you retired.
I retired in 2001 and moved into a senior living community here in Portland’s South Waterfront in 2010. It was the first month that they opened. I volunteered to set up the library from donated books. In 2017, when we decided to move here to Terwilliger Plaza I immediately began working with the library.
Can you talk more about the Terwilliger Plaza Library?
A library is more than just books. It’s also about engaging. For a lot of people here at Terwilliger Plaza, it’s their community space. It’s a great library – small, about 1,000 volumes. We try to keep it current with the exception of choice classics. We add about 200 books a year and take out about 200 books a year to always keep it fresh for the resident Members and staff.
How do you obtain the new books?
We buy 60 to 70 books a year, and the rest are donations from resident Members. We have two book sales a year: Mother’s Day weekend and Thanksgiving Day weekend. Last May we made $900 in our book sales, selling more than 500 books. We also have funding from the Resident Council for The New York Times and The Atlantic magazine subscriptions and a donation of the Wall Street Journal.
How do you decide what books to bring into the library?
Many books come from resident Member suggestions. We are a very diverse, well-educated, well-read community and books are important. When buying books, I look for new books. We want a collection that appeals to a wide range of readers. For some of the women here at Terwilliger Plaza, we are more fiction readers, and we love literary mysteries with characters and interesting settings. And we like justice to be done at the end.
How does the library operate?
We have a team of resident Member volunteers. Everyone does a little bit from putting out the daily newspapers, reshelving books, helping out with the book sales, or organizing displays like the recent display for Hispanic Heritage Month. I serve as the librarian, focused on the collection development, deciding which books to bring into the library and which to pull.
There is also a Library Committee at Terwilliger Plaza.
We do have a Library Committee, which is a Resident Council Committee. The committee chair organizes the meetings, engages with the administration and handles the various details. The committee also serves as an advisory group to the overall selection, reviewing and providing input on proposed book purchases.
What in your opinion, is the foundational value of a library?
Libraries are about free speech. You can read whatever you want. You can start it and not finish it. You can choose not to read a book. It opens you up to other worlds, in fiction especially. You can also gain greater empathy for people in other situations, such as depression or addiction, grief, social calamities or natural disasters.
For instance, there is the book, Tilt, by local author, Emma Pattee, which is about the “big one”. Based in Portland, when the earthquake hits she is out by the airport and needs to get back home to her significant other. In reading that book, I learned more about experiencing an earthquake than books I have on natural disasters and what you need to do to prepare. To have it conveyed in a story, I really understood.
What was it about Terwilliger Plaza, why did you choose to live here?
I grew disillusioned living in a senior community that was run by a larger organization. My husband and I were drawn to Terwilliger Plaza’s representative self-governance board leadership structure. It’s an independent, stand-alone community and not a big corporation. We first moved into The Heights in 2017 and then moved into Parkview in June of 2024. Our Marketing and Sales staff is excellent. I worked with JoJo. She didn’t want to sell me. She wanted to find the right apartment home for me.
You are also an active participant in the resident Member floor meetings.
I find these meetings very valuable. Each building has a representative, and, as a group they meet with the Executive Committee of the Board. This is an opportunity to ask questions or express concerns. Often times it is just a clarification that is needed. This active participatory structure offers many channels of communication for resident Members. It makes you feel that somebody cares. It makes a difference.
What has your experience been here at Terwilliger Plaza?
It’s a very special place. Everyone is caring for each other. I enjoy the Wellness Center, the classes they offer, and the opportunity to keep physically fit. I volunteer at our thrift shop, Treasures and help edit the Terwilliger Times, our in-house newsletter. There are multiple opportunities to be as involved as you want to be, or as private as you desire.
I also trust the administration to take care of me, should I become vulnerable.