APPLAUSE AND FAREWELL

A Tribute to Jim Pate
(The Puzzle Guy)
by Billie Page, Hoover Public Library

How do you describe a gentleman who has dedicated his 32-year career to answering nearly every reference question that was possible to answer? A librarian’s librarian? A professional's professional? The ultimate “go-to guy?” The “Hound of the Library” who will never give up pursuing that question, but keeps chewing on it until he delivers an answer? However one might describe him, we’re sad to inform our readers that Jim Pate’s career with the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) will end in July when he retires.

Jim’s career at BPL began in 1972 in the Arts and Music Department at the Central Library. He continued at various branches such as the Ensley Library and the Springville Road Library, and in many Central Library departments including  Technology, Periodicals, Reference, Social Sciences, and Southern History, where he currently works. Jim completed his Masters in Library Science degree after he had worked at BPL for several years. He has worked for four library directors, Richardena Ramsey, George Stewart, Jack Bulow, and current director Barbara Sirmans.

Jim’s exceptional ability to obtain, retain, and disseminate information is known throughout the state, and has been recognized nationally. One of his favorite memories of his library career occurred in 1995, when he received the Allie Beth Martin Award. This national honor is given annually by the American Library Association to a reference librarian who demonstrates a great knowledge of books and library materials and has the ability to share that knowledge.

Patrons seek him out not only because of his willingness to provide correct information, but his willingness to go above and beyond the normal search and response. Jim has trained many of the county’s public librarians in reference service and has inspired library support staff to pursue a library career.

Jim has been interested in word games and puzzles for many years.  He uses this interest to design a crossword puzzle for each issue of the quarterly publication, the Reader. Jim is particularly proud of the fact that each clue in the puzzle has a double meaning, which intrigues many puzzle enthusiasts enough to come to the library to copy back issues of the Reader for the puzzles. He has participated in the National Scrabble Association for over nine years. After Jim retires, he plans to participate in the August 2004 Scrabble Tournament in New Orleans which will be televised by ESPN. He will also keep busy as the chairman of the committee revising the Scrabble Players Dictionary. Jim often demonstrates a unique way of expressing his interests: a favorite is his intention to continue spreading the word about “Intransitive Dominance,” which to the rest of the world is known as “Rock, Paper, Scissors.”

 One of the things that Jim enjoys most is locating difficult information for patrons. A typical “Jim Pate story” involves a lady trying to find a story that her grandmother told her when she was a child. All she could remember of the story were the names Beanie and Peasie.  This was early in the Internet age and although he used all the tools available to him, he could not come up with the story. He took the lady’s name and number. Over a period of years he continued to think about this unanswered question. Last year he was on the Internet, put in the character’s names and found the source. This was 10 years later, and the lady was not at the same number, but Jim used his sleuthing skills and located the woman in Decatur, AL, providing her with an answer to her decade-old question (Tales of the Punjab by Flora Speel). Who among us would have had that “never-say-die” approach?

Barbara Sirmans
Director, Birmingham Public Library

"Jim Pate, affectionately known as ‘the answer man’ will certainly be missed by both staff and patrons. He is truly a librarian's librarian. He thirsts on the ‘hunt’ for information and he ‘delights’ in revealing that information when it is found.

I'll never forget our trip many years ago when we visited the Memphis Shelby County Public Library. Jim managed to get me hooked on completing puzzles (and anyone who knows Jim understands that these were not your ordinary puzzles). That activity made the trip to Memphis bearable. When the trip was over, Jim was not going to allow me to forget this craft. For weeks after that, I could expect to see Jim in my office with yet, another puzzle.

Wherever he goes, I know that he will take his helpful ‘can do’ attitude with him and consequently, he will spread joy and knowledge to all he confronts."