Himmelfarb Library congratulates staff members Valerie (Val) Bowles and Ian Roberts on their recent milestone work anniversaries at George Washington University! Val recently celebrated her 35th anniversary at GW, and Ian celebrated his 5th anniversary! To help celebrate these anniversaries, we interviewed Val and Ian to learn more about their careers at Himmelfarb.
When did you start working at GW? What was your first position here?
Val: September, 1989. My first position was the assistant to the since-retired Account Analyst Bozinca Baumuller.
Ian: October, 2019. I was (and remain) the Acquisitions and Resource Sharing Librarian.
What different positions have you held during your time at Himmelfarb?
Val: Executive Assistant to the Account Analyst for the library, Account Analyst for Educational Resources (Biomed, CASS, and Continuing Education) which is no longer, and now I’m the Account Analyst for Himmelfarb Library.
Tell us about your current position and what you do at Himmelfarb.
Val: I am the Account Analyst and am responsible for securing purchase orders, processing invoices, and managing the budget. I also have payroll and facilities responsibilities all with the library. Additionally, I provide accounting responsibilities for the Healing Clinic and the Office of Medical Education.
Ian: I buy books and help make decisions about buying and renewing platforms and databases. I also oversee resource sharing (both Interlibrary Loan and our Consortium Loan Service). In addition to my core title duties, I participate in the Practice of Medicine curriculum, communicate with vendors, manage collection development, run the annual Book Sale, and have helped lead library discussions and research related to artificial intelligence.
Can you tell us how Himmelfarb has changed over your career?
Val: Himmelfarb used to occupy the whole library but now there are at least 3 different departments housed in the library. And we used to have a staff lounge in the basement. Another big change is how I now process invoices. Back in the day (lol), I used to type them up on a payment request form and send them through interoffice envelopes. I also had to write them in a book for tracking purposes and then file them in our file cabinets by the vendor. We also used to be part of the Medical Center, different from now being part of the University.
Ian: I started five months before the pandemic began, so I saw the transition to full remote work and then eventually to the hybrid model we have now. Additionally (and partially informed by the hybrid work environment) I've seen a stark shift from the use of print resources to electronic resources.
What are some of the things you enjoy most about your job and working at Himmelfarb?
Val: I really enjoy working with numbers and ensuring that we stay under budget the most important part of my job. I really enjoy all of the many colleagues I have met and worked with over the years as well.
Ian: I appreciate that there's always room for growth and that I'm encouraged to try new things and find new trainings to take part in. The work is usually interesting because there's always a new project to tackle. And it's also a friendly, welcoming environment with excellent co-workers.
Can you share one or two of your favorite memories of working at Himmelfarb?
Val: The Holiday parties when staff would bring in homemade dishes/treats and some from their home countries, we had a great time.
Ian: The Misinformation project, which led to redesigning a class for first-year students about identifying and confronting misinformation as well as a book chapter that I co-wrote with colleagues. Also attending the Computers in Libraries Conference (which I've done twice now).
From all of us at Himmelfarb Library - congratulations to Val on your 35th anniversary and to Ian on your 5th anniversary at GW! We are so lucky to have you both as part of the Himmelfarb team!
