Joan Robb, Christine Sammon, and Lisa Weber became friends while studying at the library in Helen C. White Hall during their time as library science students. They were all pursuing their Masters of Library Science.
After they graduated, they spread out in different directions. Robb moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin, Weber moved to Takoma Park, Maryland, and Sammon moved to Calgary, Alberta.
“The students in the library school were a very collegial group and we spent many enjoyable times in the departmental student lounge and studying in the library school library. The treasured friendships I developed with Lisa and Christine has lasted ever since,” says Robb.
Before retiring in 2022, Robb spent 41 years working at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She spent the majority of her career working to build, manage, and maintain their collection of resources and retired as the Assistant Director for Collection Development.
Also retired, Sammon spent several years as a founding board member of The Alberta Library, a non-profit library corporation serving more than 300 libraries to ensure the best library service for the citizens of Alberta. She also served as Library Director at the Alberta College of Art and Design, now known as the University of the Arts and worked as a sessional instructor at a local college in Calgary.
Passionate about cataloging and metadata, Weber spent her career bringing technological advancements to archival projects. In 2013, she retired after working in many different roles at the National Archives that kept her fascinated with the evolving world of archives, data, and metadata.
While they stayed in touch throughout the years, the distance made it difficult to regularly see each other. However, the availability of Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic gave them an opportunity to see each other more frequently. With their combined love of books, Robb brought up the idea of a book group. Her husband dubbed them “The International Book Group” and the name stuck.
“The International Book Group—a grandiose name for what’s essentially ‘three old ladies who met in library school.’ Joan and Christine have been beloved constants in my life and I wouldn’t have found them if I hadn’t attended UW–Madison’s library school,” says Weber.
Robb, Sammon, and Weber decided to participate in The Badger Effect, a campaign highlighting the impact of collective giving where donors can inscribe a tile on a donor wall within Morgridge Hall.
“At this point in life we’re all thinking about giving back and it felt like a meaningful way to honor not only our friendship but also the library school that brought us together,” says Weber.
Their tile will read “1980 International Book Group JR CS LW”.
“The tile is a testament to our love of books, and, more importantly, our strong bond of lifelong friendship we have maintained, beginning with the happy time we spent in graduate school,” says Robb.
Robb, Sammon, and Weber all had the same favorite memory from their time at UW-Madison—their friendship. The three women are excited to take a trip to Madison, to not only see their tile, but to also see each other.
“Our friendship has lasted a lifetime. One of my fondest memories is the three of us rising at the crack of dawn on Saturday mornings to be among the first at the Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Capitol Square. And of course we all bonded over library school and our shared experiences in the program, which continues to tie us together to this day,” says Weber.
Learn more about The Badger Effect.