a well-loved librarian for 35 years, would eventually become the namesake of the museum. She was fondly known for teaching kids to read. “Any librarian does that to a degree,” says Jim.

When the current library on 14th Street was built in 1969, the building was sold to the city and used as a teen center, among other things, but it was clear that the building was not generating enough revenue to justify remaining in such a prime location in downtown Davis. In 1988, the building was moved to its current location on C Street and became a museum. In a sense, curator Phyllis Haig and the library club saved the building from being demolished when they decided to start up the museum. “The library club has a contract with the city to operate this as a museum,” Jim says. “The city pays the bills, keeps the roof on, but has no interest in the museum.”

Few members of the library club are around today, and those who are have become too old to be active participants in running the library. As Jim explains, “The library club is kind of extinct; it had no process to regenerate itself.” Phyllis Haig, curator of the museum and founder of the original library club, is one exception. Phyllis has been running the museum since 1992, and also helps in Woodland at the Gibson House, another historical building of Yolo County.” If it weren’t for people like Phyllis and Jim, as well as the other volunteers, the building would