It’s obvious that we can never adequately be prepared for the loss of friends and colleagues. Communities thrive on cohesion, and the loss of any member of a community—peripheral or central—takes our breath and light and joy away.

Pat Carterette was not peripheral. As a recent ALA (American Library Association) Learning Round Table president and a long-term mover and shaker in the organization, she touched every one of us with her enthusiasm, commitment, and optimism. So when we learned a few all-too-brief months ago that she had been diagnosed with cancer, we felt the ground below our feet had suddenly turned to Jell-O.

Those of us attending and attempting to conduct business at Learning Round Table gatherings over the past several days in San Diego at the 2011 American Library Association (ALA) midwinter meeting never felt that Pat was very far away even though the news from home left no doubt that she was in her final days. Those setting the agenda for meetings knew that if we didn’t openly discuss and acknowledge what Pat had meant to us, there was no hope of accomplishing anything else, so one of the first items of business on the agenda last Saturday morning was time for those present to recall what Pat meant to us at a personal and professional level.

She meant a lot.

She was a friend and mentor to other members of the Learning Round Table Board, and she helped make the organization more accessible in an onsite-online world. She was a trainer and educator with wide reach and a warm heart through a variety of positions including her work as Continuing Education Director for the Georgia Public Library Service. She was a colleague who was tremendously generous with her time whenever someone needed help: an hour for an interview about e-learning, endless hours contributing to the success of training-teaching-learning opportunities that helped people who would never even know the role she played in helping them in their professional development efforts, and through many other acts of generosity. She was someone who opened the doors of her home to colleagues needing a place to stay while visiting from out of town. She was the one who picked people up from airports and made sure they arrived where they needed to be. She was someone who seemed to have so many wonderful ideas blasting through that lovely mind of hers that we were lucky to glimpse even a fraction of them and even luckier to grab and hold and cherish the smallest portion of that never-ending blast of energy before it went away.

Which, as we knew, was going to happen one day soon. And today, as you may already have seen elsewhere on the ALA Learning blog, was that day.

Everyone knows that a community has a tremendous void when a member leaves us. We’re poorer—devastatingly poorer—for that loss. Yet better off for having had that member of the community with us. Even though the time we have together never is—and never can be—enough.

Paul Signorelli

Paul Signorelli is a writer, trainer, presenter, and consultant based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He works with clients to successfully facilitate the introduction of new technology into organizations; prepares and presents webinars and other online and onsite learning opportunities for a variety of clients; is actively involved in ALA and ASTD; continues to prepare articles for "American Libraries," the eLearning Guild's "Learning Solutions Magazine," and other publications; and co-wrote "Workplace Learning & Leadership" with Lori Reed for ALA editions. Paul can be reached at paul@paulsignorelli.com.

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You’ll see that the ALA Learning site has turned purple in memory of Pat Carterette, the Learning Round Table’s Past President, who passed away this morning.

From Pat’s husband:

Pat passed away this morning at 11:15 am. She was peaceful and fully ready at the end. She has asked that there be no memorial service or flowers. Those who would like to memorialize her could make a donation to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund. (And thank you to those who have already contributed!). Thank you to everyone for your love and support. You added immeasurably to Pat’s life in her last days.

You can connect with Pat’s family on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_156838827692502

I had the pleasure of becoming friends with Pat as a result of our work together for the Learning Round Table. It goes without saying that Pat was an advocate for learning and libraries. Pat and I talked frequently about our jobs, our marriages, and our children. I sometimes referred to Pat as my second mom though she preferred being called my sister. Pat had a zest and enthusiasm for life that are hard to put into words. An avid runner and marathoner, Pat was vibrant and full of energy. She loved to talk about her children and how proud she was of them, and she liked to remind me that “this too shall pass” when I complained about my little ones’ teething or poopy diapers.

When I feel overwhelmed with work and life, I think about Pat who taught me, and told me frequently, that you don’t have to do it all at once. A hard lesson to learn, Pat taught me that it’s ok to space out having a family, work, and professional commitments. When I struggled with the idea of running for a Learning Round Table board position, Pat told me, “There’s plenty of time. You don’t have to do it all at once.”

Now looking back, I realize how ironic this is since Pat’s life was cut short. But then when I think about it more, I realize that Pat lived more in her 50-something years than most of us live in one or two lifetimes! I can’t think of anyone who packed more punch into the years she had than Pat. What an amazing woman. What an amazing life. I’m so glad to have had her as a friend and mentor.

Goodbye Pat. Friend. Mentor. Advocate. And loved by all.

Pat Carterette 1951-2011

Lori Reed

Lori Reed, Managing Editor of ALA Learning, has more than 15 years experience in training and is the Learning & Development Coordinator for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library where she oversees the learning & development of a diverse group of staff at twenty libraries. Lori’s passions are performance consulting, learning strategies, and e-learning. Lori is coauthor, with Paul Signorelli, of Workplace Learning and Leadership: A Handbook for Library and Nonprofit Trainers. Lori also blogs at LoriReed.com and can be reached at lori[at]lorireed.com.

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