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Himmelfarb Headlines: Staff Profile - Introducing Catherine Sluder, Manager, Bloedorn Technology Center

Staff Profile - Introducing Catherine Sluder, Manager, Bloedorn Technology Center

Staff Profile

Learn more about Himmelfarb Library staff members. In this issue, we learn more about Catherine Sluder, Manager, Bloedorn Technology Center.

Share your path to Himmelfarb Library.
I should start by saying that I have a life-long connection to GW’s Medical School. My father, Frank Miller, was a 1948 graduate who joined its faculty to teach Pathology for nearly four decades.

During my graduate studies at GW, I noticed that Himmelfarb had a part-time job opening at its AV Study Center (now the Bloedorn Technology Center). I took the position in 1985 (in part to be close to my father) and have remained part of the Himmelfarb team ever since.

Tell us about your position at Himmelfarb and what you do.
Currently, I manage the Bloedorn Technology Center as well as oversee physical access to the library. I also work closely with my colleagues in the Circulation Department, and I am a library instructor in the POM curriculum.

I recently teamed with library administration and with faculty from SMHS, and from the GWSPH Exercise Science program, to expand Himmelfarb’s collection of anatomical models. The main area of Bloedorn has been reconfigured to accommodate and highlight our recent additions.

What do you enjoy most about your position?
Since I became a POM library instructor four years ago, I quickly came to enjoy working with our medical students more than anything else I do. I was initially daunted by the role, but now treasure it. My librarian colleagues were wonderful and patient mentors as I found my footing.

What has been the best part of working at Himmelfarb?
It has always been the people I work with. The support and camaraderie amongst our Himmelfarb staff are exceptional. Our Library Administration deserves a huge shout-out. They have consistently promoted staff development, offered accommodations to staff in times of need, and sought to nurture our individual talents and areas of interest.

What do you like to do in your time away from work?
Spending time with my husband, Jeff, and my two cats, Escher and Igor, is my favorite off-work activity. Jeff and I enjoy going to the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring to watch old movies and, especially, the annual film noir festival. I also love music, piano and tennis.

Where are you from originally, and what brought you to the DC area?
I was born in 1960 at the old GW Hospital, and grew up in Bethesda. The only time I’ve spent living outside the DC area was while attending college in New York.