Julia Nelson was only 32 when she was diagnosed with leukemia last year. Six months later she was gone.
Nelson was the teen services librarian in the Burnaby Public Library from 2010 to 2013. On Oct. 27 of last year, she passed away. This July, the library will honour her memory with a series of workshops for teens.
"Julia was pretty special," said Kelsey Jang, who worked with Nelson at the library. "She was very bright, very bold. Fearless is kind of a word that comes out about her a lot. She was a very genuine person and very kind."
Where: Bob Prittie Metrotown branch, 6100 Willingdon Ave. in the first floor program room
When:
- Wednesday, July 2: Comics 101, from 1 to 4 p.m.
- Wednesday, July 9: Banner Making/Urban Intervention, from 1 to 4 p.m.
- Wednesday, July 16: Mask Making, from 1 to 4:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, July 23: Drawing Workshop, from noon to 4 p.m.
By the time Nelson landed a job at the Burnaby library, she already had worked in the Bronx library in New York City, had degrees in religious studies and library science, met and married a man who was (and still is) madly in love with her and settled in the Lower Mainland. Nelson's loved ones describe her as someone with a charismatic personality; someone with strong opinions who never forgot a face and had a knack for making people feel special.
At the Burnaby Public Library, Nelson was responsible for purchasing the teen books and running workshops for the under-19 demographic.
"They all really responded to her really well. She connected with them," Jang said. "She was so passionate about serving her teens. There's just that loss in itself of not having that energy."
Nelson's mother, Penny, said her daughter loved working at the library. "She kind of considered it a dream job, and I think that was because of the personnel she worked with," Penny said.
Penny and her husband Paul donated $1,000, in their daughter's memory, to support programming for teens.
"I think what we wanted to do was to honour the fact that Julia had worked there and honour the work she had done," Penny said.
The library used the money to create Julia's Studio: Creative Workshops for Teens, a special series running every Wednesday at the Bob Prittie Metrotown branch throughout July.
Jang said the library put together a collection of workshops that reflected Julia's personality and passions.
"She was really creative and innovative and passionate about learning new things," Jang said. "We wanted to have a set of programs that encouraged teens not only to connect with each other but to try new things, and create something beautiful and rewarding, and to ultimately have fun."
The workshops are all free and run in the afternoons at the Bob Prittie Metrotown branch, at 6100 Willingdon Ave.
The library board has also set up a trust fund in Julia's memory, and the interest earned will help pay for teen programming. To donate, send cheques (payable to BPL Julia Nelson Trust) to: Chief Librarian, Burnaby Public Library, 6100 Willingdon Ave. Burnaby B.C., V5H-4N5.
