An Exemplary Legacy

When Janet Tillman came to what was then The Master’s College 36 years ago, she knew the experience would be different.

“All of my previous jobs felt like stepping stones,” she says. “There was never a sense that they were where I was supposed to be. But when I stepped foot on this campus, I knew I was home.”

Tillman, known affectionately around campus as “Miss T,” is retiring in June from her position as reference librarian, leaving behind a legacy of faithful service to the TMU community spanning more than three decades.

Since taking the position in 1989, Tillman has seen the library through a variety of remodels, technical advancements, and natural disasters.

During her second year on the job, two semi-trucks pulled up to campus carrying a 27,000-volume collection that the school had acquired. Tillman’s team spent a laborious few weeks processing each book, filing a combined one million catalog cards.

Then, the next year, it came time for the school to move its library catalog online — which meant digitizing each of those freshly processed entries.

“You just had to laugh,” she says, “because otherwise you’d cry.”

Two years later, at 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994, the Northridge Earthquake hit the reset button once again.

“Have you ever played 52-card pick-up? Well, it was like that, only with 40,000 books,” Tillman says. “I came to work, and you couldn’t go anywhere because there were just books everywhere.”

But through it all, Tillman credits her faithfulness in trials to the Lord.

“My entire life has been a reflection of the providence of God,” she says. “I have had several experiences for which I’ve been completely unprepared. Yet somehow, I managed to endure, overcome, and accomplish — all entirely by His grace, mercy, and sovereign control.”

In the midst of seeing Powell Library through a number of changes, Tillman has had the greatest influence through her impact on students.

Dr. Mitch Hopewell, TMU’s provost and chief academic officer, remembers seeking instruction from Tillman during his time as an undergraduate student.

“Her guidance and mentoring in research were instrumental. She taught me skills that I took into graduate school and beyond,” Hopewell says. “Miss T has assisted generations of students in learning to navigate ‘the stacks.’ Her years of dedication and faithfulness are exemplary to us all.”

John Stone, TMU’s director of library services, agrees: “Janet is leaving behind a remarkable legacy in reference and classroom engagement, as well as her contribution to the development of the collection itself.”

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