The year was 1969. Apollo 11 landed on the moon, the Archies’ Sugar, Sugar topped the music charts … and Carol Wallace started work at the Kansas City Public Library. 

Asked what sort of library duties she preferred, the newly hired Wallace replied without hesitation, “Work in the music and art department.” She has served nearly all of the half-century since then as the Library’s music librarian, moving quickly from full-time substitute to subject specialist and reference librarian.

She marked her 50th anniversary on January 25, 2019.

In those 50 years, Carol – an accomplished organist herself – has quietly and professionally: 

•    Utilized volunteers to hand-bind music scores in the Library’s collection.
•    Developed relationships with local music directors to promote the Performing Editions Collection, an array of more than 300 orchestral scores housed in the Library’s Missouri Valley Special Collections.
•    Kept the Library’s vinyl collection updated. 
•    Introduced and expanded a then brand-new medium: compact discs.
•    Helped develop online databases for indexing the Library’s miniature score and Performing Edition collections.

In short, Carol transformed the music department of the Kansas City Public Library into a sought-after resource for music lovers and area orchestras. We thank her for her 50 years of dedicated service.