Staff Profile: Walter Zimmerman, Research & Instructional Librarian in The D. B. Weldon Library

Photo courtesy of Shawn Simpson

A full time member of the Western Libraries staff since September of 1971, Walter Zimmerman brings 38 years of experience to his position as the Online Services Librarian for The D. B. Weldon Library and the Subject Librarian for Classical Studies, Philosophy, and the Writing program. Highlights of his career include his thirty-five year partnership with Prof. Craig Simpson's History 3305E class, aiding a visually impaired student while she completed her Honours Undergraduate and Master in History degrees in just four years, and receiving the Western Award of Excellence in 2008 for his work at Western Libraries.

Walter will be retiring from Western Libraries at the end of 2009, and his enthusiasm and expertise will be missed by all.

Could you please give a brief description of your position at Western Libraries?

My duties include the selection of books and other materials in addition to maintaining the "Program Guides" web pages for the subject areas for which I am responsible, Classical Studies, Philosophy, and the Writing Program. I also provide information literacy sessions for all users in the three departments and act as a liason with users in these areas. I most enjoy providing in-depth research assistance to users in any area of study.

What would you consider to be the best part of your position?

The best part of my position is working with the students and the faculty in their research, whether by finding obscure documents or by helping them create the best possible search strategy using any of our hundreds of databases or Google Scholar, one of my favourite sources of scholarly information.

I also really enjoy introducing students to the intricacies of the research process. I've been searching databases almost daily since May of 1974 back when "online services" staff searched databases for users. These databases used to charge by the minute and by the citation and were much more complicated to use than our current databases; therefore, it was much more cost effective to have a trained librarian do the searching. I also enjoy giving presentations to students and faculty regarding the numerous library resources at their disposal.

Why do you enjoy working at Western Libraries?

I love working at Western Libraries for many reasons--(1) the wonderful and friendly people we serve, (2) the extraordinary resources we have in print, electronic format, and in microfilm and other formats, and (3) the colleagues with whom I work. Many staff have worked in our library system for over twenty and even over thirty years, so they have become much like extended family to me. I will be leaving them at the end of the year, but, happily, I will be staying in London so that I can visit often.

Any personal interests or hobbies that you'd like to tell us about?

My hobbies include photography, reading, surfing the internet, travelling, and, of course, spending time with my three (so far) grandchildren. Retirement will allow me to spend more time with my family, catch up on my reading, and do volunteer work within my faith community.

This article appears as part of a series of staff profiles designed to introduce library staff members and their services to the Western community. Stay tuned for more Western Libraries staff profiles!