Himmelfarb Library Spotlights Acquisitions/Collection Development and Cataloguing/Reserve Departments

What happens to a book before students and faculty can pull it off the shelf at the Himmelfarb Library? Maybe you have asked yourself this question before, or maybe you would simply like to know more about the library staff whose work is more behind the scenes than at the public service desks.

Meet the staff of the Acquisitions & Collection Development Department and the Cataloging & Reserves Department: George Paul, Leah Pellegrino, Yvonne Lee and Kristina Womack! New books and audiovisual material go through their four pairs of hands before they hit the shelves. The journey of a new book at the Himmelfarb Library looks something like this: the title is located on the website of a medical book vendor and ordered. At the same time, a record for the new book is created in the library’s online catalog. Once the book is received by the Acquisitions Department and the invoice is paid, it makes its way to the Cataloging Department where final adjustments are made to the record in the catalog and a call number is assigned. Finally, the book gets physically processed with the Library’s stamp and a call number label and it is ready for the shelf!

Besides making sure that new books and audiovisual items are available for circulation to Library patrons, the Acquisitions and Cataloging Departments also maintain the bibliographic records in the online catalog so that they always reflect the current status of the collection. In addition, the percentage of records for electronic resources such as e-books and e-journals is constantly growing. The Cataloging Department also handles the Library’s course reserves services, which include hard copy reserve items, such as books and journal articles, and electronic reserves in Blackboard.

The staff of the two departments is constantly facing the challenges of rapid developments in the field of library automation and other technologies. We strive to provide excellence to our patrons, always keeping in mind that the accuracy of our work plays an important role in the process of locating materials in the library, which are needed for study and research.

The staff of the Acquisitions & Collection Development Department and the Cataloging & Reserves Department is:

George Paul

“I joined the Himmelfarb staff in 1987, where I served as Access Services Librarian, until joining Library Operations as Acquisitions Librarian in 1994. In addition to selecting titles for the monograph collection, I work with the Bloedorn Audiovisual Center Staff to select and order non-print materials for our collection. In addition, I oversee the maintenance of the collection and organize our annual book sale. As a DC resident, I enjoy dining and going to the movies and theater with friends.”

Leah Pellegrino

“In September 2001, I arrived at Himmelfarb Library as the Electronic Resources Librarian. However, when the opportunity became available, I decided to “switch gears” and moved over to Cataloging and Reserves. It’s been a fun and rewarding challenge, and a learning experience. In my free time, I enjoy reading (no surprise there!), cycling (I participated in the New York to Boston AIDS ride in July, 2001), music (from Jazz and Classical to Rock and Roll), being outdoors and spending time with family, friends, and my two cats.”

Yvonne Lee

“I’ve been at Himmelfarb for the past six years. I first started in the Reference department but presently divide my time between Acquisitions, Reference, and Cataloging. Being the Jack-of -all-trades at the Library makes my job more interesting. When I’m not at the reference desk, my main job is to order books for the library and enter book information in the Library catalog. Outside of work, I keep busy as a wife and mother of three school aged girls. I enjoy cooking, music, landscaping, camping, and spending time with my family.”

Kristina Womack

“I have been with the Himmelfarb Library as a Library Specialist for cataloging and reserves since September 2003. One of the aspects that I enjoy the most about my work is that I get to handle all the new books before hardly anybody else has seen them. However, I do not recommend cataloging a vividly illustrated dermatology book right before lunchtime… (It may come back to haunt you). In my free time, I enjoy reading, shopping, spending time with my two cats and my husband (not necessarily in that order), and traveling to my native country of Germany.”