A dash of color

by Anna Jackson

Librarian Melba Jesudason at her retirement party. Ruby Paredes, an institutional planner in Vice Chancellor Paul Barrows's office, and Jesudason. College Library staff members Susan Brinson and Jane Doyle Janice Rice, College Library, Jesudason, and Gretchen Farwell, Steenbock Library. Abbie Loomis, Library Instruction, and Sandra Pfahler, Member Libraries. Steven Dast, Digital Projects Facility, and Jenifer Ihde, Humanities Digitizing.

After more than 20 years of bringing "color" to campus libraries, Melba Jesudason retired in October.

Born and raised in India, Jesudason came to the United States in the 1960s and completed upper-level degrees at the UW-Madison. As a Christian Indian living in the United States, she represents an interesting mix of cultures, but feels that the university has embraced her.

"I took advantage of my culture to stand out in a place of 41,000 students, faculty and staff. My color distinguished me; not just my skin color, but I thought I really added color to the library with my saris," Jesudason said. "Stereotypes bothered me and I had to prove them wrong sometimes."

Prior to her one-year stint in Mills Library, Jesudason’s work experience included 20 years at College Library as a reference librarian. She also worked in Memorial Library as the South Asian Languages Cataloging Team Captain. For seven years she was with the Library of Congress Field Office in New Delhi, India, and taught science in India.

During her tenure at the libraries, Jesudason worked with the Office of Foreign Students and Faculty and with the English as a Second Language Program presenting library programs to international students. In addition, she worked with the athletic department to provide specialized library service for campus athletes, a position that earned her the nickname, "Mrs. J" from some of the student athletes.

Jesudason has lived in Madison for 28 years and has been a dedicated member of the Madison and university communities. Her contributions included working with the university’s outreach programs to high schools and middle schools and serving on several councils and community boards, including the board of trustees of the South Central Library System. As a result of her dedication to others, she received the Norman Bassett Award for Outstanding Achievement in Student Services in 1994.

Jesudason plans to take a month off following her retirement, but don’t be surprised if you see a familiar sari on campus. She plans to continue to work as an international student advisor and will volunteer at the athletic facility and the Morgridge Center.

"I really do love the university and I enjoyed every minute of my time here," Jesudason says. "I am a very service-oriented person."

"I always believed in walking the extra mile and I believe it really makes a difference for the students."