Marie Riley is one of those rare people whose various causes in life end up complemented by the way she brings them together. She is both a technology “geek” and an avid supporter of the arts in Northwest Arkansas , where she has lived for 23 years. She takes great pleasure and pride in that which is authentic to Fayetteville , including the Farmers' Market and the various city parks, the University Theater, Northwest Arkansas Symphony, Walton Arts Center , and Fayetteville Public Library, which she views as “the cultural heart of Fayetteville .” She is not so techie that she prefers e-books to the old-fashioned paper model, yet she is not so artsy that she can't tell you how many gigabytes of memory are on her hard drive. Even her family members reflect the delicate balance within her: her son, Justin, studies art at the University of Kansas , and her husband, Art Hobson, is a retired physics professor. How does she bring the technology and art worlds together? In one word: interface.

In school, Marie studied psychology and art, and her interest in the way intelligence and intuition come together has informed her life profoundly. The Network Client Services Manager at the University of Arkansas , Marie began working with technology in the 80s, when “Macintosh's intuitive interface [made it] an exciting time to get in at the ground level of the computing and internet revolution.” Similarly, she finds herself drawn to exploring the way life experience emerges in works of art. A lover of literature, film, and the visual and performing arts, Marie gave up television 15 years ago. “Television was a distraction from life,” she explains. Besides, “there are just too many books to read.” She is happy to offer recommendations, such as authors Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, Ernest Hemingway, Jean-Paul Sartre, and George Sand; the films Impromptu , The Wizard of Oz , Henry and June , Sophie's Choice , and Julia ; and three genres of music — jazz, Cuban, and techno — which share the playfulness, strength, and vitality of the woman who enjoys them.

The new Fayetteville Public Library will offer greatly expanded possibilities for both of Marie's causes. She envisions the library as a provider of equal opportunity “access to educational, informational and cultural resources” through technology, and she looks forward to the new wireless zone and increased number of public-use computers. Additionally, she says, “I would love to see art be a part of the library experience. When a public institution encourages artists, everyone benefits.” She feels this would be a great way to personalize the library, for, “despite the rampant development, Fayetteville retains its unique small-town persona within its people's commitment to community and the environment.” We're lucky to have someone like Marie among us to inspire and elevate our efforts.