The Bata Library inspires Lari Langford’s ongoing support of Trent 

 A love of libraries — specifically the Bata Library at Trent — has been the lodestar of Lari Langford’s professional life. Her recent pledge to the Bata Library — along with numerous other donations to Trent for the past 35 years— reflects that truth. Among other acts of giving and volunteering, she supported the library’s extensive renovation project of 2017-18, established the J.S. Langford Bursary in her father’s memory, and has been a valued volunteer and Board of Governors member.

“It's true to say that my career is not only based on my education at Trent, but also my employment at the Bata Library,” says Langford (’70), who currently is head of user services at the University of Toronto Libraries, where she has worked for nearly forty years.

Her first experience of Trent was visiting the campus with her father after graduating high school in Ottawa. She knew then that Trent would be a good fit for her post-secondary education. It was — so much so that after graduating (in English) she wasn’t ready to move on. “I wanted to stay at Trent!” she recalls.

Stay she did, working as a don at Otonabee College (helping to establish the student-in-residence don), and at the Bata Library. Her decision to go to library school was a direct result of her positive experience as a staff member at the Bata, which ultimately set her on her professional path.

“I was appointed to my first job at the U. of T. because of my experience at the Bata Library. I loved working in the Bata Library, and I hope many more generations of Trent students will benefit from its renewal and restoration.”

To learn more about how you can to make an impact on student lives at Trent University, please visit trentu.ca/Give.