Our Member of the Month is David Spaans, a long-time member, and the FURL treasurer. Let’s get to know him better!
Thank you, David, for answering our questions and sharing your inspiring story!
(Interview compiled by FURL Member Diana Manevskaya)
David with his hearty home library.
When did you join the FURL, and why is the membership important to you?
I joined FURL in 2007. In November 2009, FURL Board entrusted me to become treasurer, and I have held this position ever since. I have been retired for 21 years now and have no shortage of things to do on my own. However, FURL gives me a chance to reach out and involve myself in an organization that helps other people.
Please share with us an interesting or fun fact about yourself for our members to get to know you better.
My wife Jean and I met while we were pursuing our library degrees at Drexel University in Philadelphia. We’ve been married since 1967. After raising three boys, Jean worked in the Montgomery County School System as a school librarian. In the meantime, I worked at the Library of Congress for 28 years. I was involved with the MARC Project, in which all the LC cataloging cards were converted to computer records. Both Jean and I participated in the beginnings of library automation.
We enjoy traveling and have visited most European countries, as well as many states within the US. In 1960s, while in the Navy, I was able to visit many East Asian countries, including Japan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam (before major combat).
Pre-COVID days at the FCPL Summer Starlight Family Film Festival. Former Technology Committee Member Erin, President Katherine Esposito, and Treasurer David Spaans manning the FURL table.
We are full-time readers, and Jean is an avid “birder.” She sends her Frederick County observations to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We both have a long-term interest in ancient civilizations. In 1985 we participated in a 2-week above-ground expedition in Pompeii.
What recently read books did you enjoy and would like to recommend to our members?
I usually read non-fiction or classic fiction. A recent book I completed was Orwell’s 1984 while on our ocean cruise this past November. It was a student read and I got much more out of it this second time. Before that, I read Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs and Steel which is about why some civilizations succeed and others fail. I would recommend this book over all the others I have recently read since it’s so comprehensive of human civilizations. This past summer, I read The Innovators, by Walter Isaacson, on the origins of the digital revolution. I am currently reading Jared Diamond’s Collapse, about how some civilizations fail to succeed--the flip side of his other book.
How do you choose which books you read?
Most books I read come from recommendations of others or favorable reviews that happen to correspond to one of my interests - Jared Diamond’s books, for example. Sometimes, I come across an interesting book (and purchase it) while sorting book donations.
What would you say to a non-FURL member to encourage him/her to join FURL?
Joining FURL helps others. Even with each small individual effort, together, we can help build an established community here in Southern Frederick County.
Read more about David and the other FURL Board Members.
And a few short questions for a wrap-up.
Which do you prefer: electronic, audio- or physical book?
Physical book. I have never read an electronic book. As an incurable book worm, I must feel the loving warmth and texture of each page.
Paperback or hardcover?
Hardcover. The pictures are better. Also, the binding is generally looser than paperbacks—reading a book that doesn’t lay flat when open is to be eschewed.
Do you judge a book by its cover?
No. I never choose a book by its cover. I choose a book by its weight—the heavier, the better. And if it has more than 400 pages, even better!