María Peña first came to work in the Fresno State Library in 1981 as a clerical assistant in acquisitions. After over 40 years of service, María will retire on June 30, ending her distinguished career as a systems analyst in Digital Services. Her last day on campus was April 7.

María is a pivotal staff member in the library, has served as a staff representative, and served on several library committees. She has been integral to the success of innumerable student assistants throughout the years. The Library Employee Engagement Committee will certainly not be the same without her calm presence and willingness to serve. She has a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge as she saw the library evolve from one in which there was a card catalog through the computer age.

In María ’s own words, “I’ve been involved every step along the way. I take with me this incredible history. I feel so moved and so honored to have been a part of this wonderful transition. I learned so much from this experience. I am forever grateful.”

And, so too, we are forever grateful to María for her outstanding service, hard work, commitment to the library and gracious spirit. María will be missed! Always humble in spirit, María has elected to forego a retirement party. However, well-wishes can be emailed to her directly at mariap@csufresno.edu.

Wishing María all the best as she turns the page to the next chapter!