Eury joined the staff of Appalachian Normal School on a full-time basis in 1929. He first worked under Librarian Emma H. Moore until he was promoted to Librarian in 1946. He retired in 1970. He died on September 17, 1995 at his residence in Bessemer City, North Carolina. During his long career at Appalachian, the school evolved from a normal school to Appalachian State Teachers College to Appalachian State University. Eury managed the library's growth from two small rooms with about 2,000 books in 1929 through the establishment of the D.D. Dougherty Library in 1935, and the library's eventual move into the Carol Grotnes Belk Library (present-day Old Library Classroom Buildin) in 1968. In 1952, he developed a separate Music Library which is now housed in the Broyhill Music Center and assisted establishing a special collection devoted to preserving materials related to the Appalachian region. The W.L. Eury Appalachian Collection was dedicated in his honor in 1971.
From the description of William Leonard Eury Papers, 1934 - 1990. (Western North Carolina Library Network). WorldCat record id: 213410845
