NCU Give Day 2022 - TJ Jones Library

TJ Jones Library has a special place in my heart. I worked there reshelving countless books on my shifts for 4 years. It was a peaceful time to quiet my mind from the busyness of life. My love of a hot cocoa and coffee blend began there as we we had complimentary drinks for anyone who passed by. I watched so many movies over the years thanks to the library. I look forward to seeing the transformation that honors its legacy. —Sasha Casper (2012)

I have good memories of being in the library. My first memory is being there to sign up for classes in my Freshman year. Later, I found some former yearbooks while I was there and it was fun to look through them and find people that I knew who had attended North Central Bible Institute and North Central Bible College. I lived in Tourtelotte during my junior year and enjoyed having a room to myself with neighbors that I already knew. I LOVE old buildings and am sad when people decide to tear them down, so I was happy to see that this building will be preserved. I attended NCBC from fall 1978 to summer 1982 and graduated with a B.S. degree in Behavioral Sciences. My maiden name is Foxworthy. —Marilee Springer (1982)

Before I was a student at NCBC, I was the Secretary to the Librarian, for about 1.5 years (1990 into 1991). As a life-long book-lover, I really enjoyed working in the beautiful, fragrant TJ Jones Library. In addition to my secretarial duties, I spent many hours cleaning and organizing storage areas and closets. During the slower summer months, I helped the librarians "read the shelves" (making sure books were in proper order) in several of the second floor rooms. I even dug out the boxed-up archives and organized them in an empty room, preparing them for better future access. It's already changed so much since then, and it'll be great to see how TJ Jones Library continues to modernize. —Bonnie Perrin (1996)

My favorite memory would be the big leather chairs too easy to nod off in…. It didn’t seem to matter whether it was newspaper or a good book the result was always the same. —Michael Heilman (1985)

When I was in the throes of my capstone project for my master’s degree (being a graduate student who had been out of school for 30 years!), it was a saving grace for me to be able to book a small study room in the library from time to time. Being in that building always helped me to be in an academic state of mind, free from distractions from my job or home, to focus on getting the research done. TJ Jones Library is a true treasure! —Nancy Zugschwert, M.A.( 2019)

I used to live on the third floor of the library. Although I’d specifically requested not to live in the women’s honor dorms on my college application, I’m so grateful that I was placed there. Living in the honor dorms probably helped me make it through my university career (no curfew! and more!). I have many fond memories of the library, most of which I won’t be sharing (!). One I will share, however, was the somewhat unsettling but very convenient practice of combing through the dark and empty floors of the old building at night, searching for a book (or books) as needed, armed with a flashlight! Day or night, I don’t recall ever actually checking out a book in the entire three years I lived there! And the old elevator... it was so slow! Upon entry, it nearly seemed as though one had entered a time warp. All sorts of things may have happened in the time it took to traverse two whole floors. But it sure was convenient when moving in or out... and on laundry day! And the old bathtub on the second floor! I strongly favored showers, but it was always there waiting to be enjoyed (with a book!), most ideally when the library was closed! For these memories and many, many more, I will always remember the library with a great fondness... and I definitely should have taken more baths! —Kimberly (Hamann) Glynn (1994)

As a child, libraries were places of refuge, exploration, and curiosity. I would ride my bike into the center of town where I grew up and hang with the librarians. They'd even give me jobs to do like cleaning out the card catalog drawers and placing books back on shelves. So it is no wonder I journeyed to our library and met our librarian, Judy Pruitt, in my first days as a professor at NCU. I find now, as I found then as a child, the library to be a place of refuge, exploration, and curiosity. And more, I'm grateful for the deeply connected partnership professors have with our librarians to create the best and most cost-effective learning journeys for our students at NCU. —Neely Tamminga (Visiting Professor, College of Business and Technology)

I worked at TJ for 4 years and always felt so at home there. I hung out there to do homework and I helped other people as a library assistant. It is my favorite place at NCU and I will always be grateful for my time there. —Reagan Drury (2021)

My parents were non-traditional students at NCBC, so as little girl, I used to run around the halls of the school. One of my favorite memories was pretending TJ Jones was my mansion! I imagined I was Scarlett O'Hara, walking up that grand staircase! In my college years, the second floor study rooms were perfect for completing homework and writing papers. In my early years as an employee, my favorite summer lunchtime spot was the front porch, enjoying the breeze and sounds of the city, all from behind those huge, comforting columns. A lifetime of sweet memories! —Aimee Robertson (1997)

I spent a lot of time studying in the library my freshman year, and was asked to live there my sophomore year. I have so many special memories of that little room in "the bridge." It was surreal to me that my second week of work as Director of Alumni Relations at NCU found me back in my old room - which is now the pictorial archive! It's still got the same paneling and the same carpet from 35 years ago. And I still feel the Presence of God as I kneel in the same spot I'd knelt all those years ago. I could never have known how my life's journey would go, but God did! I am SO grateful. —Tabby Finton (1989)

As a student I spent many hours writing papers and using reference materials in the library. After graduation being a Student Supervisor and ILL Coordinator was my first full time job. What wonderful memories in that building! I’m so thrilled to see it getting some love from the NCU community! —Jennifer Posegate (2007)

Send us your favorite TJ Jones Library memory or story.