Author: Kelsey Longmuir
Last Tuesday, Oct. 21, the Library’s Ahmanson and Jeffers rooms were filled with faculty, staff and students as Oxy welcomed new librarian Bob Kieft into the community. Kieft replaces the position of former librarian Shirley Hallblade, who served the Oxy community for 44 years and left in 2006 to be closer to her grandchildren.
“She [Hallblade] reorganized the library and built up the staff. There were a lot of vacancies when she arrived,” Head of Access Services at Norton Clapp Library Laura Serafini said.”She did a lot for staff development,” Head of Collections and Technical Services Emily Bergman said. “She really got us to work together.”
Kieft arrives to Oxy after spending 20 years at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, where he served from 1988 to September 2008. “I left because I needed a change,” Kieft said. “Haverford is a great place to work and it [the decision to leave] reflects more on me than it does on Haverford.”
Currently, Kieft is working with staff to find ways to strengthen Oxy’s library system. “I am interviewing with staff, trying to see what they see as problems,” Kieft said. Kieft also plans to continue his work on library collaboration in his time at Oxy.
“If you Google me, you’ll see that my major interest as a librarian is to figure out the place of the library and to create a network of libraries that benefit the users,” Kieft said. “I am interested in libraries working together on collections.”
Vice President for Information Resources Pam McQuesten made the official welcoming speech at the event. “Bob Kieft [is] one who sees and understands the past, present and future of academic libraries,” McQuesten said. “In his few short weeks on campus, he has already asked excellent questions, offered cogent and intriguing observations and quickly made himself a member of the campus community.”
The reception was held from on 4-6 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. The College provided finger-foods and an opportunity for staff and students to mingle with each other and the new librarian. “I thought the reception was an excellent way to welcome our new librarian,” Sara Buyers (sophomore), a student worker at the Circulation Desk, said
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“I am really excited to have the leadership and experience of Bob Kieft,” student Circulation desk worker Asia Canady (first-year) said. “I’m sure he’ll be a great addition to the staff and the Oxy community.”
Kieft thanked the library staff for making his transition to Oxy as smooth as possible and shared his thoughts about the change of scenery. “I spent 18 years at Stanford [before Haverford],” Kieft said. “I am glad to be back in California.”
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