After eight years of running a house-cleaning business, Beth Ferryman was ready to move on.
“I wanted to try something different and knew computers were the wave of the future,” she said.
So Ferryman enrolled at Gateway Electronics, where a male instructor told her women had no place in the electronics field. “Needless to say, we didn’t get along,” she said.
Today, Ferryman is a computer software technician II in the McGoogan Library, where she maintains hardware and software for approximately 100 computers.
“People forget I’m not a librarian,” said Ferryman, whose outstanding performance has earned her the Chancellor’s Gold ‘U’ Award for August.
They don’t forget Ferryman’s upbeat style, though.
“She always has the staff and customers’ ease of access foremost in her mind,” one nominator said. “Her mantra is not ‘how can I make my job easier for me,’ but ‘how can I make everyone’s job a little easier.’ ”
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Said another nominator: “She is consistently the first person any of us call when we have a hardware or software problem, and she can be counted on to not only respond immediately but always solve the problem. No matter how many times we make the same mistakes and ask her the same questions, she is patient, gracious and helpful. She takes our frustration in stride and makes our workday satisfying and productive.”
Ferryman has made more than 250 individual office visits around campus, installing the desktop product WinSPIRS, which the Library formerly had to install to provide desktop access to its health-related reference databases.
Ferryman’s not one to start projects she can’t finish. “If I do something, I’m going to do it right or not do it at all,” she said. “That would be like giving up. I don’t want to put an ‘out of order’ sign on a computer.”
The outgoing, Omaha native does leave “I was here” signs on people’s workstations. The signature, 5 1/2 inch x 4 1/3 inch handmade cards let customers know Ferryman has been at their desk.
Her own desk – on the eighth floor of the McGoogan Library — is an eclectic collection of computer books, some of her 250 trolls, Beanie Babies and other colorful characters. The pink, sponge-painted square column within arms’ reach of her desk reflects her favorite color, as does the bulletin board waiting to be hung.
“Beth is the first line of defense for library staff when computer problems strike,” one nominator said. “She is very easy going, tactful, and able to maintain a good sense of humor, especially during sometimes hectic and stressful work conditions.”
Ferryman, whose father was a post office supervisor, says she finds humor in everything and always focuses on what’s positive. “I want people I don’t like to like me,” she said.
For several years, Ferryman has served as the library’s United Way/CHAD campaign representative. The mother of two grown children enjoys reading, cross-stitch, spending time with her two grandsons and traveling.