On Monday, December 5, 2022, the Duke University Libraries lost a longtime colleague and treasured friend. Sara Seten Berghausen, Associate Curator of Collections in the Rubenstein Library, passed away at the age of 53 after a heroic fight with cancer. She will be deeply and greatly missed by many in Durham, at Duke, and especially here in the Libraries.
Sara had a long career at Duke—so long that her email address was simply sara@duke.edu. She worked here for just over two decades, during which time her curiosity and expertise led her to hold positions across this organization.
She could boast degrees from both ends of Tobacco Road, including two from Duke. She came here as an undergrad on scholarship for flute performance, only to discover a passion for Russian literature and culture that led her to earn a bachelor’s in Comparative Area Studies and Russian (1991) and stay on for a master’s in Russian Literature (1993). Sara made many lifelong friendships while a student here, most importantly her future husband Alexander (Sasha) Berghausen, whom she met when they both played as undergraduates in the Duke Symphony Orchestra. They married in 1993. She added a second master’s from UNC’s School of Information and Library Science in 1996.
While a grad student at UNC, Sara returned to Duke as a library intern, first in our International and Area Studies Department and later in what was then called the Reference Department in Perkins Library. Several years followed working for the library systems at the University of Chicago and University of Texas at Austin, before she returned to Duke in 2001 as Librarian for Literature and Theater Studies, a post she held until 2014. Ever generous and open to new challenges, Sara also covered the occasional critical vacancy, spending a year as Interim Film and Video Librarian in Lilly Library and another as Interim Slavic and Eurasian Studies Librarian. In 2012, she was promoted to Head of the Humanities Section. Since 2014, she has served as Associate Curator in the Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. It was a job she loved, as anyone who spent five minutes in a classroom with her could tell.
Her portfolio as curator included the Economists’ Papers Archive, where she worked with a number of Nobel Prize winners, and wide-ranging literary collections. The latter spanned a multitude of fascinating and notable collecting areas, covering a broad swath of British and American literary history, comic books, science fiction, utopian literature, and Southern writers, including a number with strong Duke connections, such as William Styron, Fred Chappell, Reynolds Price, Michael Malone, Anne Tyler, and Allan Gurganus. She also supported archives related to Duke, Durham, and theater studies, including the Synergetic Theater and Manbites Dog Theater. Sara loved working with scholars, writers, authors, and theoreticians to preserve their papers and develop curricula and public programming around them. Collection donors and researchers deeply respected her expertise and were drawn to her warm and lively personality.
As Sara’s supervisor and friend, Andy Armacost, put it: “Sara had strong relationships across campus and in the Duke community. In her time in the Duke University Libraries she helped our library, our campus, and our town feel a little more connected. She helped librarians, students, faculty, and the community to better know each other.” The person who knew your children’s names and where they went to school, asked about your ailing parents, or brought you food when you were home sick—that was Sara.
Sara was also an active campus citizen. Among the many Duke extracurriculars she participated in, one of her favorites was the Common Experience Reading Committee, where she spent nearly fifteen years reading and debating which book the next class of Blue Devils should read. She had a gift for bringing people together over books and ideas, and she shared that gift freely, enthusiastically, and daily. She was a committed undergraduate academic advisor and provided advice and guidance to hundreds of students over her career. Sara also provided support to fellow working parents by helping to establish the parents@duke listserv in the early 2000s as a way to connect and find parenting resources within the Duke community. It’s no exaggeration to say that Sara bled Duke blue, and her insider perspective as a Duke alum made her an especially good librarian, advisor, and co-worker.
Sara was committed to social justice, and to Durham, and she led by example both at work and in the Triangle community. The list of nonprofit organizations for which she volunteered or served as a board member could fill a whole page, including Schoolhouse of Wonder, Preservation Durham, Urban Ministries, and St. Phillips Episcopal Church, among many others. She greatly admired the work of the Equal Justice Initiative, and one of the highlights of her career was meeting founder Bryan Stevenson after his book Just Mercy was chosen as the summer reading pick for the Class of 2020, thanks to Sara’s advocacy on the selection committee.
After she died, those of us in the Libraries began to share some of our fondest memories of Sara with each other. But because she touched so many lives, we wanted a space for the entire Duke community to be able to share stories and reminiscences about her, virtually. If you’re reading this and would like to contribute your own memory of Sara, please drop it in the comments section below. We’ll be sure to include it.
Sara leaves behind many friends in Durham, at Duke, around the country, and internationally. We wish to express our deepest sympathies in particular to Sara’s family, especially her husband Sasha; children Alexander, Ellen, and Jane; parents Charles and Nancy Seten; and her brother Charles Seten. Her library family grieves with you.
The night before Sara passed away, her close friend and colleague in the Rubenstein Library, Meg Brown, sat with her and read her a poem by Wendell Berry, which we would like to close with—in grief and in cherished memory of our good friend, Sara.
The Peace of Wild Things
by Wendell BerryWhen despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives might be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Memorial Service
All are welcome to join in celebrating the life of Sara Seten Berghausen at a memorial service on Saturday, January 7, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in Duke Chapel. The service will be followed by a public reception hosted by the Duke University Libraries in the Gothic Reading Room on the second floor of Rubenstein Library.
Gifts of Remembrance
The family has asked that gifts in Sara’s honor be directed to the Equal Justice Initiative. Donations can be made through their website. Be sure to check the box that says, “Dedicate my donation in honor or in memory of someone,” to indicate your gift is in memory of Sara Seten Berghausen.
I worked with Sara from the time she joined the Reference Department until I retired in 2010. In fact, her cubicle was next to mine, and she was a delightful neighbor.
She was always generous and enthusiastic in providing information to faculty and students as a reference librarian and in instructing students how to find and use the resources of the library. One year she invited all of the Reference Dept. staff to her home for a Christmas celebration, another example of her generosity and graciousness.
Sara was truly a lovely woman, both inside and out, one who has left the world much too soon.
I don’t know where to start Sara was like a sister to me my heart hurt but I know she is no longer in pain i will miss you Blondie
love
Lynnette
Sara and I bonded over “leftie” politics during the “W” years, though I think for both of us, it was just an excuse to get to know each other better. Every time I would see her, she always had a smile (oh, that smile!) and kind and witty words. It is to my everlasting regret that I retired from (then) RBMSCL too soon to work with her more directly in Rubenstein. I am beginning to understand that the hints I saw of the greater Sara were more widely shared and known to her many other friends and family. I am now of an age where the death of a contemporary friend or colleague, while always sad, feels more in the “natural order” of things. Not so, with Sara! To lose someone at her age, with her gifts, and with the love of all her knew her and were blessed with her friendship, seems deeply wrong. Though we hadn’t seen each other lately, I find myself missing her in ways more profound than I would have imagined. Thank you, Meg, for being with her and for the moving poem
Oh Sara, you had such a positive impact on all you met. You will be fondly remembered and deeply missed.
Sara was a beloved member of the Duke community. As fellow Slavic Dept. and Library alums, our paths crossed several times over the years. I am sad to hear news of Sara’s passing. She was a great Light and will be missed.
I am truly devastated to read this, as I didn’t know Sara was sick. She was a friend from my “first go-round” at Duke (2002-06), but we lost touch during the years I worked elsewhere. And yet, when we ran into each other at a library event after I returned to Duke in 2019, it was like no time had passed at all. We immediately arranged a lunch, and I remember us having so much to talk about as we caught up on 13 lost years. We promised to do it again, and I thought we would — but of course Covid came, and we didn’t. I’m sorry to know now that we won’t see each other again. Still, I’m grateful for the time we did spend together, and I’ll always remember Sara’s energy, insight, smarts, warmth, and wit. I’m sending so many good thoughts to her family, friends, and coworkers.
I remember the first time I met Sara, I think it was at a TRLN conference, and she greeted me like we were old friends reuniting after many years. At first I felt sheepish, like maybe I had forgotten that we went to college together or something, but I left that conversation feeling like I had a new old friend. Later I realized that she made everybody feel special in this way – her kindness and enthusiasm were infectious, and you couldn’t help but feel good and feel energized being around her. Our conversations about the scooter she rode to work were one of the reasons I ended up getting one for my commute, and later got into motorcycling, and she connected me with Sasha so I could learn from him when I was a novice. One more anecdote that remains a fond memory – we traveled together to a conference in Charlotte, and had great conversations along the whole drive. On the way back, we somehow got on the topic of regional differences in fast food places, and when she discovered I had never been to Steak ‘n Shake she insisted I had to try it, and we went out of our way to stop at one for dinner. I’ll never forget her smile and her laugh while we ate burgers together, and the joy she brought even to mundane things like this. To Sara’s family and many friends, I share with you the grief of her loss, and hope the many good memories from her too-short life will sustain you in the days ahead.
In truth, I still find the loss of Sara impossible to accept. I am thinking of all of you in the library — what a huge loss this is for your world. How is this amazing spirit gone? Though I’m at Duke, I knew Sara mostly outside of the university, first through our kids, then as families. Then she and I had the unfortunate chance to bond as cancer buddies. Even in that cruel, unfair situation, she was ever generous, and always gentle, always putting others first. And also frank and wry, always ready to laugh. The perfect partner in awful circumstances. Our exchanges were a balm for me. My family grieves. And I’m thinking of all of you.
I remember vividly when I met Sara. She was one of my first friends at Duke and remained a dear friend for 20+ years. Kris Troost said, “I know someone here in the library that you are going to like. And…her husband’s an architect!” My husband is an architect, and I was looking for reasons to lure him to Durham. Meeting Sara and Sasha did the trick. And after many trips to feed the ducks at Duke Gardens with our kids later, we were still enjoying so many good times and so many conversations about books and buildings. Sara, you will be missed forever. You will always be in my heart.
I am so sorry to read this news. I’ve known Sara only through email over many years now as she helped me gather photographs from Duke’s Rubenstein collection (as well as other collections at Duke) for the NC Literary Review. The last time we worked together was right before the pandemic. She did some scanning and image photographing herself for us as she knew they were on the verge of lockdown and our publication schedule would not wait. What a wonderful woman to work with. Condolences to all who knew her.
I first met Sara when she was the Perkins Reference intern and loved having her as a colleague during her DUL career. I was always captivated by her personal warmth, intelligence, and contagious love of learning. After her diagnosis, I brought meals to her family on several occasions. The first time I came by with dinner she stepped out onto the front porch for a few minutes and cheered *me* up! Last spring Meg Brown was visiting Sara and they were both very sad because her prognosis was dire. “I know!’ said Meg. “Let me show you the pictures of her daughter’s wedding that Elizabeth posted on Facebook.” She pulled them up, and Sara was delighted. A lesser mortal would have felt angry that she would never experience such major life events with her own beloved children. It is a testament to Sara’s generosity of spirit that she was uplifted by someone else’s happiness. She was a remarkable woman!
I first met Sara when I attended the recruitment weekend for Duke’s PhD program in English. I remember so vividly her vibrancy and warmth, which put me at ease and made me feel welcome and excited about the program. She continued to touch my life in different ways during my time at Duke. We were not especially close, but I looked up to her so much, seeing her as a role model as a professional, a mom, and an intellectual. I was glad to be in her orbit when I was an intern at the Rubenstein. I always enjoyed hearing Sara talk glowingly about her husband and her children. I am thinking of them and sending my deepest condolences. Also to her beloved friends and colleagues at the libraries, I am so sorry for this great loss. I will join you in treasuring Sara’s memory. What a beautiful soul. May she rest well.
Sara assisted me greatly during my investigations into the papers of William Styron. She knew her stuff. She helped me find the materials I was searching for and let me know when the library acquired new documents that might be of interest. In our exchanges she was knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. She knew how libraries work and understood the partnership that exists between libraries and patrons. She had a ready smile, a good sense of humor, and a strong conception of duty. I and the other scholars she worked with will miss her greatly.
Thanks to all above for your heartfelt eloquence in memory our dear Sara. Sara and I were colleagues in the Perkins Reference Department until I retired in 2009. In her joyful and positive approach to life and work, Sara provided a salutary leavening spirit to our mix of persnickety personalities. Both of us ardent Democrats, Sara and I managed to bridge amicably our Clinton-Obama divide in the spring of 2008. I am not a good loser. One particular memory that I would like to share: A number of years ago, Duke and North Carolina Central University began to schedule annual football games. Before the inaugural match-up, an all-Durham pep rally was organized to take place at the old Durham Athletic Park as a way of acknowledging the historic significance of the game that was to be played the next day in Wallace Wade Stadium. I made the effort to attend the rally. Not too far from me was the Berghausen family, Sara, Sasha and the kids, Sara happily participating in the Duke cheers with her huge smile. That image strikes me as typical of Sara’s values, her love of Duke and Durham, her strong belief in social justice and the importance of community in our city with its history of racial division that we are working hard to leave behind. RIP, Sara. Thank you for a life that was so well lived in so many ways.
It is so telling that this remembrance of Sara includes the words, “our friend,” in the title. I have always admired Sara’s vocation as a librarian end I enjoyed working with her for the last 20 years. I am lucky that Sara was my colleague. I’m luckier still that I could also count her a friend. She was there for me through pregnancy, when I was a new mother, and as our children grew. Sara was my friend and always will be.
I remember Sara coming to the Smith Warehouse with that charming smile of hers. Even though I didn’t work directly with her, she left a lasting impression on me without saying a word. I was saddened to hear the news and I pray for comfort for her family.
I remember being struck by Sara’s warmth and generosity when I first met her at Perkins Library. It was clear that she was someone who helped to build community and connection and it was always a pleasure to work with her or even just to run into her in the building. It’s heartwarming to read such beautiful tributes for a lovely, beautiful person. My heart goes out to Sasha, their children, and family as well as all who considered Sara a friend….so many people whose lives were touched by her kindness, collaborative spirit, expertise, and care.
Shocked. What a dear, wonderful woman.
I was shocked to learn of Sara’s death. Though I met her around Duke, I really got to know better as a Riverside High School parent. I so appreciated her warmth, sense of humor, graciousness, and flair. Condolences to her family and friends. She was a wonderful woman.
The summer Ellen was 4 or 5 Sara and I frequently found ourselves together at the pool. As a faculty member, I had worked some with Sarah but never extensively. We enjoyed our chats and looked for each other as we entered the pool area. I especially enjoyed playing a grandmother like role with Ellen. The two of us got on well, our mutual love of the water and the fact that Ellen is my middle name. Then one day I remembered I had a small children’s book – the title was some version of Ellen Learns to Swim. I gave it to Ellen. Sara claimed that Ellen was delighted. Maybe so, but greater delight was mine in knowing them both and sharing their stories.
I knew Sara all too slightly, but she always greeted me warmly and made the day better. Our paths crossed unexpectedly but often at the libraries, where I would flee to my carrel for research and respite. At other times we’d meet serendipitously in the neighborhood we shared. The world will miss Sara’s unfailing kindness and thoughtfulness. Many condolences to her family and friends.
Dearest Sara,
I remember and will always cherish your intellect, grace, and sincerity. In the memories of those who carry the gift of knowing you is your eternal life.
I first met Sara at the University of Chicago Library, where my future husband was the Music Librarian, but we became friends through our involvement with the Literatures in English Section of ACRL, where her participation was low key but always valuable. Like everyone who has commented, her smile and approachability drew me to her, although I had to overcome a tinge of jealousy that she was now working at the Duke Libraries, where I had spent so many hours during my undergraduate and graduate studies, and then for a year in the Serials Department. So we had a mutual love of Duke as a whole and the Libraries in particular, and the Gothic Reading Room very particularly. On my latest visit to Duke, she gave me a wonderful, personalized tour of the changes to the Perkins/Rubenstein complex and kept me from getting totally lost in the newly renovated West Campus Union during lunch. I regret that I didn’t know her on a daily or even fairly frequent basis as many of you did, but she was always someone I thought of when the words ‘wonderful librarian’ were heard. My deep condolences to her colleagues, many friends, and family.
Sara was one of the first librarians I met at Duke, during my undergraduate pre-orientation program in 2016. Our program visited the Rubenstein for a show & tell session, which Sara hosted. I was looking for a work study job, the Rubenstein was hiring, and I just remember thinking that Sara made it seem like an excellent place to work. I ended up working there for all four years and then going right into librarianship as a career afterwards. I was only a lowly student assistant but whenever we crossed paths, Sara made a point to ask about my classes, thesis, and tenting schedule. She was so kind and it was always such a pleasure to work with her. What a loss! Her family, friends, and colleagues will all be in my thoughts.
It’s a cliché, but I think more than anyone else I’ve ever known, Sara really did have a smile that lit up a room. A mutual friend described her as luminous, which is the perfect word: she had a luminous smile, a luminous mind, a luminous spirit. And oh, her wonderful laugh. I will always be grateful to have known her for twenty years and to have been lucky enough to call her my friend. I’m sending all my love and positive energy to her family and friends and everyone else who loved her.
I first met Sara when she initially began working in the Library years ago. From day one she presented herself as a kind, thoughtful, considerate person who always had a smile for you whenever she saw you. She was quiet, and somewhat timid in appearance, but to know her was to love her. I’m very glad to have known her and express my condolences to her family.
I have so many fond memories of Sara. She was a special person to me both in Durham and at Duke, as a friend, fellow parent, and fellow professional in our community. I remember talking with Sara once about how much I loved the New and Noteworthy section in Perkins and she told me that she curated it. I felt like I was friends with a celebrity! I think the New and Noteworthy section of the library really speaks to who Sara was and how I will remember her — curious, topical, thoughtful, colorful, willing to take risks, community-oriented, and infinitely accessible. I am a better person for having known Sara, and Duke and Durham are even better communities because she was a part of them.
For four years, I worked at the Rubenstein Library, but because I was in Tech Services at Smith Warehouse and working on a single grant-funded project, I can’t say I worked with Sara directly. But I was struck by her warmth, her openness, and her capacity for connecting with others. I was often overwhelmed by my project, and felt that I just didn’t fit in at the library. Sara, in her gentle and perceptive way, seemed to sense my isolation, and always had kind, encouraging words and genuine enthusiasm for my work and the project I was working on. I was always happy to see her in Bay 11. Sending peace to her family and friends.
You were always a wonderful colleague and human being, Sara! Peace to your family, your library family, and all whom you touched.
I first Sara when she was an intern in the relatively new International and Area Studies Department in the Duke Libraries in the 1990s and we forged a deep friendship and rich professional relationship that endured for decades. I have so many memories of Sara from those days, and from our many conversations about our children (as our families grew), our careers and ambitions, our shared commitment to global studies and global librarianship. It is really impossible to put into words what Sara meant to me and to my family. As others have noted, she was smart and generous and funny and she took a deep interest in others. I agree with Duke emerita professor Maureen Quilligan, who has noted, “Sara was the epitome of goodness.” I will be forever grateful to have known Sara.
I only knew Sara briefly, for the year I worked at Duke Libraries from 2006-2007, when we were all in temporary cubicles in Bostock, and yet I remember her warmth and kindness as if it was yesterday. Sending condolences and love to her close friends and families. What a radiant light she was.
One of the kindest person I have ever met. Rest in peace….
Sara was a kind and generous colleague. I also knew her from our children’s piano recitals – our sons took lessons with the same teacher. Those are happy memories. My condolences to her family.
Sara, you were such a beautiful person inside and out. I have the best memories of our suite and the “core four” silliness from freshman year at Duke, and I can still hear your very distinctive and contagious laugh! My condolences to Sasha and to your children and family; you are gone way too soon. Your life was a great blessing to all who knew and loved you. Rest in peace, my friend.
Regan! I have been thinking of you and Liz and remembering the good times we shared freshman year. I would love to reconnect. Love, Lori
After living with Sara freshman year, it is no surprise to me to read the beautiful comments about her on this page. She was so smart and talented, but humble. She was always kind, funny, gracious, and optimistic. I am so sorry to hear about her passing, and send condolences to her family and friends.
I was their babysitter when Alexander, Ellen and Jane were young. This family is definitely one of the sweetest and loving families I have ever worked with. They have and will always hold a special place in my heart. Sara’s kind heart and bright smile could fill a room as can her children’s. Sara, you will be truly missed by so many including myself. Rest easy sweet friend.
As a rare book dealer, I worked with Sara as she acquired materials for the Rubenstein Library. One of the highlights of the various book fairs where I exhibit every year was seeing Sara, especially in Boston, where we were often able to get together for lunch or dinner. One year we had a lovely meal at a restaurant she chose because she had met the co-owner on the plane up and he invited her to visit! It’s a cliche to say that her warm spirit and kindness radiated to everyone she met, but the time I spent with her (and all the previous tributes here) show it to be true. We had always talked about my coming to visit her at Duke, and I am very saddened that I won’t be able to do so. I will miss her deeply.
I remember talking with Sara in an author’s reading and signing line at the Regulator Bookshop. Sara and I stood together in this very long line and we talked and talked and talked. Her daughter, Jane, had just been born and Sara told me Jane had been named for one of Sara’s favorite aunts. I worked with Sara on a bibliography project involving literary works. Sara was the brain of this endeavor and helped me greatly with the technical aspects of the project. One of the last times I saw her was when author, Ron Rash, gave a reading at Duke’s Smith Warehouse, an event she had helped plan. From time to time I would see Sara at other events and I looked forward to her always warm greeting and radiant smile. My sympathy to her family and to all who had the good fortune to know her.
I have known Sara trough our daughters. Jane and Chloe went to the same middle school. she was a very sweet person. Though we haven’t seen each since Covid, I have very good memories of her and I agree with everybody else she was very loving and kind.
I am so sorry to hear about her passing and keep her family in my prayers.
On this first day of classes 2023, I’m thinking of Sara : her relish in discovering what people write; her delight in sharing it with others. Whether I met her in the library or the parking lot, she radiated that pleasure. The Russian writers she enjoyed, the many others she helped students and the likes of me track down, the local novelists she helped bring to Duke. Sara was one of Alan Gurganus’s accomplices ; her excitement about his drawings and papers coming to Special Collections was contagious. As I start meeting students again today, I’ll tell them about Sara and her love for the people, the books, and all that the Perkins/Bostock communities make happen for us.
I only learned of this terrible loss this past week, and share in everyone’s sadness. So many people loved Sara and we will all miss her. Sara was my undergrad and grad student up in the Language Building–Russian language and literature. She and Sasha lived in my house in Raleigh for a while, BK (before kids) and installed bookshelves there! It was wonderful having her right next door in Perkins. We shared a love of motor-scootering, hiking, and reading (of course), and I enjoyed hearing the latest about her family. I served with Sara for a few years on the Summer Reading committee (which I co-chaired) and still remember her commitment, intelligence, sensitivity and dedication to that work, her great recommendations and lively contributions to our discussions. Yes, we DID choose some of the books she advocated so eloquently for, and I like to think of thousands and thousands of new Duke students reading those books and feeling their worth, along with her spirit. I can feel her presence in everyone’s comments here, her vibrancy, her beautiful smile and laughter, her care for others and devotion not just to a life of thinking and reading, but of teaching and sharing, paying it forward. We were all so lucky to know her.
Sara was really special. Many historians of economics were impacted by her as the curator of the Economists Papers Archive at Duke’s Rubinstein Library, including myself. She was always trying to help those visiting the reading room and working on the archives. In the many trips I made to the US and visited the archives, she always came to talk to me and helped me out in many different ways. She will be fondly remembered and deeply missed.
Nearly every historian of economics working on the 20th century is indebted to Sara. She traveled tirelessly across the US to supervise the transfer of archives to the Rubinstein Library, welcomed visitors to the reading with great kindness and introduced them to collections, anticipated and accommodated their special needs, walked many economists through the process of preserving their paper then digital legacy, convinced them that it was worth the effort. Her contribution both to the state of research in the history of economics and to the wonderful atmosphere in the reading room was invaluable. My condolences to her family and colleagues
I knew Sara through my work in the Economists Papers. Well, technically that’s not right since I was working on Craufurd Goodwin’s papers and what I needed turned out to be in the University Collection, rather than in the Economists Papers. Suffice it to say, I got to know Sara through her work helping me find what I needed. She was very enthusiastic about my project and was always friendly, supportive, and quick to respond.. She was the epitome of a professional librarian/archivist. All of us who worked in the Economist Papers after her arrival owe her a debt of gratitude. She was a wonderful colleague.