At the end of June, 2014, I retired from the University of California. At that time, I was working for the California Digital Library, part of Office of the President which is the system-wide body over all of the 10 UC Campuses. It was a great group of people who I enjoyed working with, but lets face it – it was work.
The type of work I was doing related to solving problems between staff and outside support groups. When those situations weren’t providing good outcomes for our people, they came to me to help sort it out. The best part was getting to know a lot more of our staff one-on-one. The downside was that I was always dealing with unfamiliar technical situations and outsiders who were not always motivated to see our side of things.
The California Digital Library was formed in 1997 to help the UC community take advantage of emerging digital technologies, partnering with all the campus scholastic efforts as well as other national and international organizations with similar missions. It has regularly broken new ground in exploiting new forms of IT (Information Technology), saving the UC system millions of dollars and facilitating the sharing of resources between the campuses and with the world. It was truly an exciting environment in which to work.
While I never defined myself by my nine-to-five employment, there was some adjustment after I retired. There are friends I now have to make an effort to see (they are still working!) and the rich technological advancements that I was able to witness close-hand are now things I seldom hear about. But the group is very inclusive and regularly invites retirees to parties and social events.
Since I had been working within the UC system since 1977 (starting at UC Davis), I retired to a robust pension. There were many times I considered making the jump to the outside world in my job search, but I found working within academia so rewarding it never happened. I am still able to use many of the campus facilities such as its extensive libraries, which I find to be a major perk. I am proud to have helped support the efforts of such a world class organization.
Seán A O'Hara 
Let me thank you and all the staff of the California Digital Library (formerly the Division of Library Automation) for all the work they have done over the years! I have enjoyed the fruits of your labor on a regular basis. I am impressed with how far UC has come and with how your effort has impressed people around the world (I have seen this first hand, having many European friends who are well aware of the course of your efforts). Another thing Californians can be proud of!!!!
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