TLN Mourns Loss of Former Deputy Director Douglas Whitaker
Friday, May 2, 2025
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Posted by: DJ Bond / Jim Flury
TLN mourns the loss of the former Deputy Director of the Wayne-Oakland Library Federation (WOLF, predecessor to TLN) Douglas A. Whitaker, at the age of 92. He was known for being well liked by TLN staff and libraries as well as the value he placed on his
family.
Please join us as we send our condolences to his family and friends.
Former Wayne Oakland Library Federation (WOLF) Deputy Director and Wayne County Library System Director Douglas Whitaker passed away April 28, 2025 at the age of 92. At WOLF Doug played an instrumental role in leading the charge towards library automation, which culminated in the implementation of the cooperative's first shared online catalog in 1983. Doug always had the best interests of ALL libraries in mind, particularly those in communities with funding challenges. He strongly believed in the mantra that the mission of a library cooperative was for ALL libraries to work together in order to make ALL library cooperative members the best they could possibly be. Doug was a devoted family man, husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather and was known for his meticulous skills in the landscaping and gardening realms. A number of current TLN staff were either interviewed or hired, or both, by Doug and they enjoyed sharing their fond memories of him today.
I remember Doug as a very competent and kind man. When he heard I was leaving my Director position at the Brandon Township Library, he said he was developing a new position at WOLF and I'd be perfect for the job. Becoming the Software Suppport and Trainer for the DYNIX automation system helped me bring many libraries online and show them how to use computers as many had not ever touched a keyboard. That experience led me to become the Coordinator of Automation and Volunteers at the Farmington Community Library and now a Library Board Trustee at FCL and a Board Trustee at The Library Network. I am forever grateful that Doug saw my potential and gave me a pathway forward to work with all libraries in the TLN Consortium.
Kathie Brown
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