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Himmelfarb Headlines: Staff Profile - Introducing Brittany Smith, Scholarly Communications & Metadata Librarian

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Staff Profile - Introducing Brittany Smith, Scholarly Communications & Metadata Librarian

Staff Profile

Learn more about Himmelfarb Library staff members. In this issue, we learn more about Brittany Smith's promotion to Scholarly Communications & Metadata Librarian.

Tell us about your path to your new position!
Here’s the condensed version: As a student circulation specialist at the University of New Hampshire, I enjoyed working in the science library immensely. When I moved back to the DC area in 2017, I applied for several library assistant positions and was selected in 2019 for the Metadata Specialist position. In 2022, I enrolled at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro studying Library Science and graduated Spring 2024. Over the summer, the Scholarly Communications & Metadata Librarian position opened up and after going through the interview process, I became the new librarian.

Tell us more about your new position at Himmelfarb and what you do.
As the Scholarly Communications & Metadata Librarian, I catalog new materials, manage the institutional repository, and answer questions about scholarly publishing.

What do you enjoy most about your position?
I enjoy cataloging. It can be difficult because there are a lot of rules and classifications that are available and catalogers are constantly thinking about how to improve upon existing standards. But I find that the work can be rewarding, especially when I manage to solve a difficult cataloging problem.

What’s been the biggest challenge?
Teaching has been a challenge for me but I am settling into a comfortable groove. I’m grateful to my colleagues who have shared advice or allowed me to shadow them when I first started my position. As I evolve my teaching skills and abilities, I look forward to assisting others who may be new to teaching.

What has been the best part of working at Himmelfarb?
Everyone’s willingness to answer my questions. As an early-career librarian, I appreciate that I can learn from people who have done this work for many years. Himmelfarb is one of the most collaborative workplaces I have been in since I first started working.

What do you like to do in your time away from work?
Around the fall and winter is when I focus on my indoor hobbies. I love to read and I’m trying to join a few local book clubs to connect with other local readers. Two friends and I have a monthly table-top role-playing game night. We’re currently playing Monster of the Week and will probably move on to Kids on Bikes in our next campaign. I am a beginner game designer, so hopefully in the future my friends and I will play through a game that I create. When it is not so cold outside, I like to hike, garden and relax at a nearby park.

Where are you from originally, and what brought you to the DC area?
I was born in central Georgia and lived there until I started middle school. My family and I have lived in the DC area since 2002, so this is my second home. Both of my parents worked for the federal government and in 2002, my mom received a job offer that required my family to move to the area.