“I grew up in China where Communist ideas were very dominant and prevalent, and the way I have lived my life has always been strongly affected by the way I grew up. In China, I was taught and constantly reminded to work for a bigger cause, so I always seek purpose in life. Because life is only so long, you might not always feel like you have achieved a great goal in life. But I am motivated to do something that I enjoy, that I am capable of, and hopefully is meaningful to others.
What is the best that I can do as a librarian? Other librarians have their respective expertise; what do I have? I have my understanding of contemporary Chinese history, which I personally lived through quite a bit. I read into and collected materials relating to this time period, trying to reflect the voices of this generation. My friends and relatives in China have a similar passion as mine. What I have invested most of my energy in–with the help of the library–is the creation of Dartmouth Library’s own website, Down to the Countryside Movement, a completely unique collection of photographs, letters, diaries and manuscripts. We have received grants and have translated diaries from Chinese to English, and these have been used by students and scholars from all over the world.
Do whatever you can at whatever age in your life to make your life enjoyable and meaningful. I am now one of the oldest librarians at Dartmouth. While people younger than me have retired, I am still working because I enjoy it–not to make a living, but for the sake of making a difference with my ability. To dig for resources and stories to share with the world. I like to do things that are not commonly done by others. I am not creative in avenues like art, but rather creative in thinking.”
– Nien Lin L. Xie, Hanover, NH
