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Marvin Tillman, Warehousing A Library

Head of the Library Service Center dreams of being professional fisherman

Marvin Tillman, manager of the Library Service Center, which stores overflow books and materials for Duke and other libraries in the region.
Marvin Tillman, manager of the Library Service Center, which stores overflow books and materials for Duke and other libraries in the region.

 

Name: Marvin Tillman

Position: Manager, Library Service Center

Years at Duke: 11 years

What I do at Duke is: I'm the head of the off-site Library Service Center. We store most of the overflow books and materials for Duke University Libraries, along with University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University, Durham Public Libraries, and North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. Although we look like a large warehouse, we operate just like a regular library. We provide all the same services as other libraries at Duke, only we pull all the materials for you here.

If someone wanted to start a conversation with me, they should ask me about: Sports, politics or just about anything. I'm very open for any kind of conversation.

My first ever job was: I worked on a farm picking fruits and vegetables. We'd pick strawberries, apples and beans, just about anything that grows on a tree or vine. I started when I was about 10 years old.

My dream job is: My dream job was to play professional football. I played semi-pro and I boxed professionally. I always wanted to make it to the NFL. Now my dream job is to be a professional fisherman. I love salt water and deep sea fishing. I've become a die-hard salt-water fisherman since moving to North Carolina.

The best advice I ever received was: `Treat people how you'd want to be treated.' The first person to say that to me was a principal in elementary school.

What I love about Duke is: I love the atmosphere, the sports and the people I deal with on a daily basis. I really enjoy the great reputation that Duke has. Just being a part of that makes me feel great about working here. 

When I'm not at work, I like to: Fish and watch my kids play sports. My son is a very good basketball and football player and my daughters are good basketball players and they also run track. They're all very competitive, and I love watching them compete.

If I could have one superpower, it would be: I'd want to fly. I've always had dreams where I could fly. It's always been something where I'll find myself waking up from a dream where I was flying.

Something most people don't know about me is: Growing up, I stayed in a lot of trouble. As I've gotten older and matured, I turned away from that. Now I use my experiences to help other young men and women avoid what I went through in life. I talk with kids at church, around the city and I've gone into prisons to talk to men and women there. Working here at Duke is a great accomplishment. I use what I overcame to come to Duke as an example. I tell others that if you do the right thing and stay out of trouble, they too can do great things.