Christine Kay
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 10/02) - Meet one of the only women in the city over the age of 25 who gets invited to watch Harry Potter with a bunch of Grade 5 students.

The kids at Weledeh Catholic school love their librarian, but Janet Diveky has decided it's time to retire. And if she just can't stay away, she may look into substitute teaching.

Janet Diveky says she'll have to get use to someone else in her library after she retires. Until then she'll continue to cherish moments with students like Kaija Green, Byron Naskathey and Curtis Mackeinzo. - Christine Kay/NNSL photos

Yellowknifelife: Where did you start your career?

Janet Diveky: My first job was in 1960 at the South African Public Library in Capetown. That's quite a famous library. It's was one of the first free libraries in the western world. I've worked in libraries in South Africa; London, England; London, Ont.; the University of Toronto; and the University of British Columbia. Now, I'm here at the library in Weledeh Catholic school.

Yellowknifelife: How did you come to Yellowknife?

JD: After working in a library in Vancouver, my husband and I kind of ran out of money so we went to live in Pelly Bay. That was really fascinating. My husband George, who I married in 1964 -- isn't that amazing? Thirty-eight years -- he went to teacher's college because he really wanted to go to the North and that was his kind of entry to the North. He was lucky enough to get a job as soon as he finished and that got us started.

Yellowknifelife: Was this your first experience in the North?

JD: No. Inukjuak, in northern Quebec was really. Inukjuak means lots of people and there's 400 to be exact. It was colder there than it is here. It's very, very windy. It is darker here however.

Yellowknifelife: You are retiring after 15 years of work for the school board. How do you feel?

JD: I'm a reluctant retiree. I just figure you've got to leave while you love it and I really do love it.

Yellowknifelife: What is it about the job that you love so much?

JD: Being able to see the kids develop over the years. When you're in a classroom, you focus on your kids. When you're in the library you get an overview of the whole school. One of the best things for me is to be able to give a book to a kid and then have them come back for more. To see them embracing literacy and just getting hooked on books, it's a rush for me. I feel like some sort of drug dealer or something. I'm pushing the books, I want to turn them all into book junkies.

The librarian has the kind of privileged life in a school because you don't have a lot of negative attached to you. Working in this job is like putting on an old, comfortable sock.

Yellowknifelife: What was the hardest part of your job?

JD: You have to stretch your dollars. When you get your budget you kind of talk to the teachers to see what we need in any particular area. At the beginning of the year I always ask the teachers to make me a schedule of what they're doing throughout the year so that first of all I know what areas we need stuff in and secondly, that they don't overlap. We can't have two classes doing endangered species at the same time. I'm always trying to find money.

Yellowknifelife: Do you plan on staying in Yellow-knife?

JD: Yes, I think that no matter how big Yellowknife gets it will always be a village. Even though it says capital city, it has the feel of a village. I think people care for each other and I love being able to go downtown and say hello to everybody. I feel like I'm really part of the place. I find Yellowknife very easy to get around in. My only concern with this place is that you get yourself a little too involved. But I love it. We also have two kids and one granddaughter here. They are the lights of my life.

Yellowknifelife: What will you do after retirement?

JD: I don't know. I'm probably going to sub. I'll be a substitute teacher if I can't stay away from school. I've just got to kind of get use to not getting up for work everyday. I've also got to get use to the idea of having somebody else in my library.

Yellowknifelife: What makes you so successful?

JD: It's important to my personality to be pretty supportive and to be able to provide the extra little bit that the teacher might need to beef up their program. For a youngest child who seeks approval all the time, this is a pretty good psychological fit. I strive to provide people with something that's meaningful to them. I work away at getting things down.

Yellowknifelife: What are you most proud of?

JD: I've tried to make the library really welcoming so that when people come in here it's a really serene place to work or concentrate. We've got 16,000 items and it's important to maintain a balance so that people feel safe and protected if need be.

The whole school is very proud of our student body of course. We have very happy, respectful kids. I have yet to meet a kid in this school that has been rude to me or has been silly and I haven't been able to slap down. We've fostered a really appreciative attitude. The kids appreciate books, they appreciate knowledge. I think they like to be here and I think that's part of our team efforts.

We have a lot of different personalities working here and we all contribute something. I'm very different than everybody. They won't let me proofread anything and they won't let me get that involved with it because they say I make them change everything.

Yellowknifelife: What will you miss the most?

JD: Being part of a successful team. I'm the librarian, the soccer coach. Somebody else is the one who organizes the pep rallies, and someone else is the one who teaches the stuff. I think we'd all say that we've been very lucky to be part of this team. The teachers, the kids and everyone is part of this team.

Yellowknifelife: Any final words?

JD: I have never not wanted to come to work. Every morning I get up and I look forward to coming into the library because it's really fun. This is the best time to leave, while I still love it.