Before he became a librarian and a fixture at the Morgan Hill Library, Jeff Grubb made his way in a number of professions, including restaurateur, radio station program director and record store manager.
When he was in his 40s, Grubb went back to school and earned his Master’s in Library and Information Sciences from San Jose State University. What followed was a new career that continued for the next 20-plus years.
“When I went back to school to become a librarian, I found my true calling,” said Grubb, 66, who retired April 30 as the Morgan Hill Library’s Supervising Librarian for Adult and Teen Services.
Grubb started working for the Santa Clara County Library District in 2001 as an Extra Help Librarian who could be assigned to any public library in the local system, he said in a recent interview. One of the first libraries where he worked was the Morgan Hill Library, where he quickly fell in love with the “wonderful community” that has always shown strong support for the library and its free resources.
“As soon as I had the opportunity to get a permanent position with the Morgan Hill Library, I took it,” Grubb said.
As of May 1, Grubb is retired from the local library, located at 660 West Main Ave. He will be missed as a pivotal team member who has been passionate about expanding access to the library—as well as its services and programs—to as many Morgan Hill residents as possible, according to Morgan Hill Community Librarian Heather Geddes.
Throughout his local career, he has worked directly with local groups like the AAUW, Morgan Hill Historical Society, Master Gardeners and many others to bring educational and informative programs to the library, Geddes said.
“During his time at the library, he worked incredibly hard to connect with a wide variety of community groups to bring programming to the library,” Geddes said. “He worked so hard to make long lasting relationships with many nonprofits and other groups in our town, who have been coming now for years and years to do programs…with audiences that keep coming back for more.”
Grubb has also coordinated the installation of “honor book libraries” in local senior living services facilities and communities. “Jeff was really passionate about ensuring our most senior members of the community had access to the library and library services,” Geddes said.
Grubb said he enjoys the “community connection” that comes with helping those groups bring their programs or services to the library.
In addition to coordinating library programs, as the Supervising Librarian for Adult and Teen Services, Grubb managed a staff of three to maintain the Morgan Hill Library’s collection of books, music and videos, he said. He also spent substantial time at the library’s information desk, serving as a vast source of knowledge for any patrons who have questions.
“I really appreciate the contact with people—both the people I work with as well as the public that comes in,” Grubb said. “I’ve always been service oriented, so I love helping people find things at the library, or find things in the community—whatever it takes to get what they’re looking for.”
Grubb added he has also enjoyed working with the local chamber of commerce, where he has volunteered on the education committee for several years.
He is also a former contributor to the Morgan Hill Times, for which he wrote a column in the early 2000s promoting the library and its various resources, services and programs.
A Santa Cruz resident, Grubb has also volunteered at the radio station KSQD. “I plan to do more of that” as a retiree, Grubb said. He also plans to travel with his wife and spend more time working on the couple’s house.
