The Jones’ Rhodes scholar: Wayne Rhodes, library’s walking compendium, retiring

By Casey Gillis

Published: May 5, 2008

Not even a power outage can stop Wayne Rhodes from doing his job.

Rhodes, director of the Jones Memorial Library, recalls a night when the power went out while he was working. The emergency lights came on, but the back part of the library, where they keep all reference materials, was plunged into darkness.

Duty still called. A woman was doing research and needed a book, so Rhodes ventured back there.

“I knew where the book was,” he says. “I counted the rows, counted the sections and counted the shelves. I reached down and picked the book up.”

Understandably, the woman was shocked and asked him how he did it.

“I always say, ‘I know where my babies live,’” laughs Rhodes, who has worked at the library for 27 years and will retire next month.

Rhodes has even inspired a catchphrase around the library. When a staffer knows right where something is without having to look it up, Rhodes says they call it a “Wayne.”

“He probably knows the collection better than anyone,” says Mary Kathryn McIntosh, chairman of the library’s board. “He catalogues the collections that come in, so he’s really aware of what’s there.”

The Jones Memorial Library is located on the second floor of the Lynchburg Public Library, but is its own separate entity and is not a tax-supported institution.

“It’s like two doctors sharing an office,” Rhodes says. “Dr. Jones is upstairs, and Dr. Public is downstairs.”

The Jones library, which opened in 1908, is the second oldest public library in Virginia and will celebrate its 100th anniversary May 14. Cake will be served at 4:45 p.m. and a lecture by Rhodes will follow at 5 p.m. In the lecture, called “Jones Memorial Library: A Dream Realized,” he’ll talk about the early history of the library.

Rhodes says a lot of people don’t even know the Jones Memorial Library exists, let alone what they do there.

The library specializes in genealogy and local history, mostly for the central Virginia area.

“You’re trying to help people find themselves,” says Rhodes, who has written several books on Lynchburg history. “They come in not knowing anything about their family, and they go out with a big smile. They might not know a lot about it, but we help them find something.”

In addition to several collections of rare books, materials include county and family histories, court records, architectural archives, census information, microfilmed and hard copies of Lynchburg newspapers and even paintings. They also have indexes of marriage and death notices, records of clubs, businesses and organizations, and family files full of genealogical charts, personal family papers and journals.

“It’s a really good source for local history and regional history,” Rhodes says.

A thirst for knowledge about his ownfamily is what first brought Rhodes to the library.

“Before my first son was born in 1970, I realized I didn’t know anybody in my family past my grandparents’ (generation),” says the Lynchburg College grad, who was a teacher at the time.

Rhodes began doing research on his family, which has been in the area since the 1800s, by checking records at the courthouse and the library, then located on Rivermont Avenue.

He enjoyed it so much that that he began volunteering at the library and eventually got a job there in 1981 as head of the Virginia Room. He was later promoted to research services coordinator and, in 1998, director.

“He’s been a huge part of the continuity of the place,” McIntosh says.

“There really are people who are not replaceable, and I think that’s how we feel about him.”

As director, Rhodes is in charge of cataloguing and bookkeeping, as well as the library’s four-member staff.

Once he retires, Rhodes plans to pursue interests that include playing bridge and singing with the Smith Mountain Lake Harmoneers, a barbershop group he recently joined. He’ll also remain a presence at the library through volunteer work. 

Rhodes says his favorite part of the job is tying people to places and events.

“Families are more than just names,” he says. “They participate in life.”

If you’re going

—WHAT: ‘Jones Memorial Library: A Dream Realized’
—WHEN: 5 p.m. May 14
—WHERE: Jones Memorial Library, 2311 Memorial Ave.
—INFO: (434) 846-0501