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Tag: library staff

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Photos of new staff at Himmelfarb Library
Nat Curtin at left and Temitayo Wolff at right are new staff at Himmelfarb

Have you noticed some new faces at our first floor service desks? Nat Curtin and Temitayo Wolff both joined the Himmelfarb Library team in November. 

Nat Curtin is the Evening and Weekend Library Assistant. She comes to us from Abrakadoodle where she was an art teacher. You’ll find Nat working at the circulation desk assisting our student workers and managing services in the late afternoon and evening hours and on Sundays. She can help you with library facilities issues, locating library materials, loans and renewals, and our 3D printing service. You can reach Nat at natalie.curtin@gwu.edu. Here are some more things to know about Nat.

What are you enjoying most about your experience at Himmelfarb Library so far?

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know all the staff- everyone has been so welcoming! I’ve also enjoyed learning more about Circulation and the different roles at Himmelfarb.

What has surprised you?

Seeing the Cage in the basement (thanks for the tour Lonnie!) 

Tell us a bit about your background.

I graduated from Northeastern University with a bachelor's degree in psychology and criminal justice and moved to the DMV area two years ago. I hope to pursue a degree in library sciences in the future.

What do you like to do in your free time?

If I could, I would spend all my time with my adorable cats: Clementine, Kuzco, and Tiny. I also like to read and listen to music in my free time. 

Temitayo Wolff is the Daytime Reference Specialist. She worked in University art and special collections and for AmeriCorp before coming to Himmelfarb. Temitayo helps staff the first floor information desk and our library chat services during business hours. Temitayo assists with use of our collections and resources, helps users with answers to a variety of questions, and provides referral services to librarians for in-depth research questions and systematic reviews. You can reach Temitayo at temitayo.wolff@gwu.edu. Here are some more things to know about Temitayo.

What are you enjoying most about your experience at Himmelfarb Library so far?

I have been enjoying learning from other members of the Himmelfarb staff and faculty. I appreciate that everyone is so generous with their time and expertise. 

What has surprised you?

I have been pleasantly surprised to find so many fellow cat lovers at Himmelfarb. I am always eager to hear about people’s cat companions and to talk about my own.

Tell us a bit about your background.

I was born and raised in DC. I got my bachelor’s degree in classical languages and literature with a concentration in linguistics from Grinnell College, where I worked in the college’s art collection and the library’s special collections and archives. 

I have spent the last two years in New Orleans, where most recently I worked in the art collection at Xavier University of Louisiana. This past summer I got married and moved with my wife from her hometown back to mine.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I enjoy puzzling—crossword, jigsaw, etc.—trying out new vegan recipes, and of course lounging around with my cats, Kermit Thee Frog (as in the muppet and the rapper) and Mister Butters.

Published on

Himmelfarb Library congratulates Laura Abate who was promoted to Library Director on July 1, 2022. Laura had been serving as interim Library Director since Anne Linton retired in January.

Laura Abate, Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library Director

Laura first joined Himmelfarb Library’s staff in 1999 as a reference librarian. She developed materials supporting medical informatics instruction for medical students and created a database and web interface for managing access to the library’s growing number of electronic resources. In 2003 Laura became Electronic Resources and Instructional Librarian and served in this role for 16 years. She managed the library’s electronic resources during the time that Himmelfarb made the transition to mostly electronic collections. She also played a key role in developing the curriculum for informatics for first and second year medical students in problem based learning. At the same time she expanded her role as a clinical librarian, frequently attending rounds for internal medicine residents and providing real time clinical information support for them. She was awarded Non-Medicine Attending of the Year by the Department of Medicine Housestaff for 2018-19.

In 2019 Laura was promoted to Head of Library Operations and the position was expanded to Associate Director of Library Operations in 2020. Laura oversaw all aspects of the Library’s web services and collections management, including budgeting and contract negotiations. She maintained her teaching role serving as an Adjunct Associate Professor for the Department of Medicine and Co-Director of the Informatics in the Health Sciences and Introduction to Systematic Review courses.

Let’s hear from Laura about her promotion and plans to lead Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library.

What inspired you to apply for the position and what are you most enjoying in your role as Library Director?  

During my time at Himmelfarb Library, I’ve had several positions, worked my way through a lot of different duties, and seen major changes in our collections, services, and access.  I don’t identify myself as someone who loves change, but I do like to solve problems, love to identify ways to improve our services and collections, and want to keep growing, learning, and honing my personal knowledge and skills.  In short, being library director seemed like a big challenge and one that I was ready to take on.  In terms of what I’m enjoying the most in this role, I love working with Himmelfarb’s staff and their creativity in continuously identifying ways to improve the library and to reflect the needs of the GW health sciences community.

What are your top priorities for the coming year?

Himmelfarb Library has seen major changes over the past two years and as I think about what comes next, I think about both renewal and assessment.  I’m anxious to renew the library as a place for the GW health sciences community to meet, work, study, and socialize (not too loudly?).  I am excited to continue to rebuild and hone our collections, and want to explore new ways that we can support teaching and learning, research and scholarly publishing, and clinical care.  But, I also want to assess and continue to evolve - i.e. do we want to keep doing things as we do now or did prior to the pandemic, or are there alternative approaches that we should consider and explore.   We take feedback from our user community seriously so please share your thoughts.  I’m available in Himmelfarb 101 and can also be reached at leabate@gwu.edu or 202-994-8570.

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