by Gregory Stock, LIS graduate student
Four years ago, Christian DeLay began serving as the Program Coordinator of the UH Mānoa Library and Information Science Program, but he recently announced that this coming December he will be resigning and moving back to California. While students and faculty of the LIS Program at UH are grieving over our beloved Christian’s impending departure, we congratulate him on his next steps and we certainly have much to thank him for regarding his positive contributions to our program. Christian’s husband has been offered an excellent professional opportunity in the field of programming in the San Jose area, and they have decided to accept the job. This offers the couple the opportunity to once again live in closer proximity to their respective families, since both men have West Coast roots.
As a native of California, Christian went to college in the nearby Pacific Northwest at the University of Oregon in Eugene, where he studied Telecommunications & Film. His professional career prior to librarianship was in the dot-com industry, where his main areas of service and expertise were in technical writing and customer service. Not long after the dot-com bubble burst circa 2000, Christian and his husband made their way to Hawai‘i. Christian is himself a graduate of the UH LIS program, and he completed his coursework in 2006. Prior to accepting the position of Program Coordinator with UH LIS in 2014, he worked as a librarian at Kapi‘olani Community College, Golden Gate University in San Francisco, and Chaminade University of Honolulu.
So why are LIS students and faculty grieving so much over Christian’s departure, and what are the reasons for his legendary status in our program? To answer these questions, I thought that it would be best to interview some faculty and students. Dr. Rich Gazan, the current Program Chair of the LIS program, had the following words to say: “Christian turns chaos into order, panic into calm, questions into answers, and students into professionals. Whether via email, emoji or eye twitch, he communicates and connects people masterfully, with or without chocolate. He has been the heartbeat of the LIS Program, and we love him.”
Other faculty suggest that he has both streamlined the system and organized the student records during his tenure, and that he is a consistently patient, kind, knowledgeable, professional, humorous, and positive resource for students. It also doesn’t hurt that he keeps a bowl full of chocolates near his desk for all to sample, and there always seems to be a line of people waiting to ask him a question for which no one else seems to know the answer. Dr Andrew Wertheimer, who was also one of Christian’s professors in our program, had the following tribute: “We’ve been so fortunate to have Christian running the show for the past few years. Of course, I’m partial since I remember him as one of my students, but more importantly he really has passion to serve students and try to create an ʻohana atmosphere in the LIS Program. He believes in the possibility of information professionals and always advocates for students to do the best they can do. Obviously we’ll really miss him.”
Students of the LIS program speak just as glowingly of Christian. Cheri Ebisu, the current President of our LIS student organization Hui Dui, said: “Christian is and has been the backbone of this department. He is the first voice with which new students come in contact with when applying to the LIS program, and he provides a constant touchstone throughout each student’s progression. His frankly terrifying amount of knowledge of UH policies and procedures is tempered by his quick wit and constant search for chocolate.”
I can vouch for Cheri’s words, since I regularly stop by his office with questions, to share a joke, or just to enjoy some chocolate. Although he is always multitasking and busy, I have never seen Christian tense or short with people. He is consistently warm and friendly, and I have never asked him a question to which he did not know (or find) the answer. Christian says that when he accepted this job at UH, Dr. Gazan instructed him that his first priority should always be the students, and Christian certainly seems to have followed those instructions to a tee.
When I asked Christian if he had any parting words of wisdom and/or advice for current and future librarians, he did not hesitate with an answer: he encouraged us to always be willing to mentor and teach, particularly for the fresh perspective and the learning opportunities that one derives from both teaching and mentoring. I am sure that I speak for the entire UH LIS ʻohana when I say that we have been honored and blessed to have Christian as a mentor, teacher, and friend, and he has provided us all with a positive example of how to remain a calm and competent professional in the midst of information overload. Mahalo nui, Christian! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and wish you all the best!
With fond Aloha,
The UH LIS ʻohana