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VOL. 24. NO.4 OCTOBER 21, 2003

Photo by David Gilbert

15 seconds

Gordon Theil

Head, Music and Arts Libraries

A native Angeleno, Theil received his B.A. (1973) and M.A. (1977) in music from UCLA and his M.L.S. (1979) from UC Berkeley. In 1980, Theil was hired as a technical services librarian in UCLA’s Music Library. “I became attracted to librarianship when I realized that the profession’s fundamental purpose is to provide service, and that, in the balance, librarians give to society significantly more that is good than bad,” he said.

What is your motto?
“Whatever happens, don’t blow your cool.” Actually, that’s from a song by Oscar Brown Jr., so I guess it’s his motto.

If you hadn’t chosen your current occupation, what would you have chosen?
I would have run for governor of California.

Who are your heroes in real life?
I’m surrounded by heroes here in the library. Remaining effective, positive and dedicated to excellence in the face of California’s current fiscal/political situation seems pretty heroic to me.