Description:
Margaret Eraclio Nizolek was born in Flushing, Queens in 1954. She spent her early years in Flushing and then grew up in Jericho, where she went to public schools. From 1972 to 1976, she attended Rutgers College, majoring in English and minoring in French. In the interview, she discusses her experiences in the pioneering class of women at Rutgers College. She delves into dorm life at Davidson, memorable professors, campus life and meeting her future spouse. She went to graduate school for library science at Rutgers in 1976-1977. She worked her entire career at the New Jersey State Library. After beginning in New Jersey Reference, she moved into Governmental Reference, followed by a stint as the General Reference Health Specialist, and then became the supervisor of General Reference. She served as the Associate Director of the State Library Information Center and then as the Director of the Information Center. In the oral history, she traces changes in library science over the course of her forty-five year career and examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the New Jersey State Library.
This interview is a part of the Pioneering Women of Rutgers College Project, an oral history project documenting the experiences of the first women to attend Rutgers College after it became coeducational in 1972. The project is a collaboration between the Rutgers Oral History Archives, Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, and Institute for Women's Leadership.
The Rutgers Oral History Archives received an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State. In the 2021-2022 cycle, this grant assisted the ROHA staff in making this oral history available to you for your use.
