Former reference librarian Koster dies Dec. 8
Claire Desmond Koster, assistant professor and retired MUSC reference
librarian, died on the evening of Dec. 8.
Miss
Koster, who was born in Charleston, came to MUSC in 1949 when she returned
to Charleston from her position as assistant librarian and instructor at
Florida State University to become librarian at the then Medical College
of South Carolina. In 1968 she became reference librarian with the rank
of assistant professor until her retirement in 1985.
Miss Koster was born Nov. 18, 1921, in Charleston, S.C., the daughter of John Christopher Koster and Claire Richardson Koster. She graduated from the College of Charleston with an A.B. degree in 1943, majoring in Latin and English. She did her postgraduate work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, receiving her Bachelor of Science in Library Science in 1944. She served as assistant librarian at the Hospital Library in Fort Bragg, N.C. for one year and at the Service Club Library there until 1947.
She was a member of the American Library and the Medical Library associations. She served as chairman of the S.C. Library Association and was exhibit chairman for annual meetings for many years. She was also a member of the Carolina Art Association, The Charleston Library Society, South Carolina Historical Society and many other civic organizations. She was a lifetime member of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, where she served in the choir and on the Altar Guild for more than 40 years.
She is survived by one sister: Anne K. Donato of Mount Pleasant, S.C.; two nephews: Henry Donato, Jr. of Charleston, SC and Christopher D. Donato of Mount Pleasant, S.C.; two nieces: Clare Desmond Donato of Port Angeles, Washington and Marianne D. Gissell of Mount Pleasant, S.C.; six grand nephews and nieces; three great grandnieces. Memorials may be made to St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 14 St. Michael’s Alley, Charleston, S.C. 29401.
‘Chief’ Desmond Koster
“Throughout her career at MUSC, Desmond (Miss Koster to
most of the staff) was cheerful, willing to do whatever needed doing, and
always ready to assist patrons, possessing a keen awareness of both faculty
and students research needs.”
—Notes from Interview with C. Desmond Koster
July 21, 1994, by Anne Kabler Robichaux, former associate director of the
library
“When Desmond thought there were too many books checked out of
the library, she would take a book truck and go to faculty member’s offices
and just take the books back to the library. The faculty generally did
not notice that the books had been taken from their offices.
—Dr. Curtis Worthington, director of the Waring
Historical Library, former vice president of academic affairs, former chairman
of the Department of Medicine COM Class of 1952
“She was my chief. Desmond made the library a warm and appealing
place for medical students and for everyone. She was friendly and cheerful.
She was accessible to the students. That attitude fostered learning.”
—Dr. Biemann Othersen, professor of surgery
and pediatrics, COM class of 1953.
“Desmond was a delightfully, helpful person. She had a twinkle
in her eye that said you shared a private secret. She was incredibly warm,
formal, proprietary and genteel. There was not a nasty bone in her body.
I never saw her lose her cool when she had every right to.”
—Dr. Layton McCurdy, former dean of the College
of Medicine, COM Class of 1960.
“Desmond loved to work in the library. On more than one occasion she said to the staff and me, “You know I feel sorry for many of my friends. They work in jobs they despise. I have always looked forward to coming to work. Once here I enjoy the work; I enjoy the people I work with; I enjoy the people I help.”
When I came in 1975 Desmond had been at MUSC for 26 years. One of her favorite activities was to go to the registrar’s office to get a list of incoming students. She would go down the list of names to see if the sons and daughters of physicians who had graduated from the Medical College years earlier were matriculating. She would then spend an inordinate amount of time at the circulation desk helping new students check materials out for the first time. If she suspected that she knew student’s parents she would ask them. She would then regale them with stories about their parent or parents when they were in school. An indication of how well she knew the students when the “Medical College” was small is reflected in this little episode: Miss Koster told a male medical student that he looked more like his mother than his father. He turned crimson red. In her charming, native Charleston way she restored his masculine self-image back almost instantaneously.
In those days before faculty and students did their own computer searches,
Desmond knew the literature as well as or better that the faculty, housestaff
and students. Many times I saw her tell a resident that there were
hundreds of articles on a topic. She would then ask what he really
wanted. The resident would just repeat the request. She would say,
“oh, come on now” as she led them down to the “dreaded printed Index Medicus.”
Before they got down to Index Medicus, the resident knew that she knew
what she was talking about. They then would tell her what they needed to
know. In some cases the information need demanded a literature search.
In other cases she would go directly to a textbook, find the answer and
hand it to a startled resident.
—Bob Poyer, assistant director for public
services and education
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