This is the the final posting in a short series, looking back on just some of what what’s happened in OCLC Research during 2012.
I think that 2012 must have been a banner year for new colleagues in OCLC Research, or maybe it just seems that way. I’ve already mentioned Max, but here are a few more.
We started off the year by welcoming Titia van der Werf. Titia works in our Leiden office, and focusses much of her attention on European partners and projects. She is also a welcome addition to the Mobilizing Unique Materials team.
Our European team was further bolstered by Shenghui Wang, who joined us in May. Like Titia, Shenghui works out of our Leiden offices. The focus of her work is on text and data mining, deepening our strengths in this area.
We are lucky to have one of OCLC’s Diversity Fellows working with us this year — Julianna Barrera-Gomez (based in our Dublin office) is working with Lynn Silipigni-Connaway and Ixchel Faniel on a variety of projects. We’re fortunate to have these talented young people working with us during their time at OCLC!
And speaking of new ideas, we had two colleagues who joined us in September and October for long visits. Takashi Shimada joined us as an OCLC Research Fellow. Taka (as he graciously allows us to call him) came to us from Keio University and spend time both in San Mateo and Dublin learning about activities within the OCLC Research Library Partnership, and helped us gain a better understanding and appreciation of the issues faced by Japanese research libraries. Simone Kortekaas from Utrecht University spent three weeks of her sabbatical in our Dublin offices, both learning and sharing. We welcome visits like this (whether long or short) because they help us know how our work can make an impact in a real world setting.
As we close out 2012, we look forward to 2013 and all we’ll learn during the coming year. We’ll be sharing it here with you, so stay tuned. We wish you a happy, productive, and peaceful year!
Merrilee Proffitt is Senior Manager for the OCLC RLP. She provides community development skills and expert support to institutions within the OCLC Research Library Partnership.
