Safranim, Below is the official announcement of David Hirsch's retirement from UCLA. I never thought I'd see the day. He has held many leadership positions within AJL and has been a frequent presenter locally at AJL workshops and at the national convention over the years. Please join me in wishing David a mazal tov and best wishes on the next chapter in his life.
Caroline Caroline R. Miller Team Leader, Discovery Team UCLA Library Cataloging & Metadata Center 2400 Life Sciences Building 621 Charles E Young Drive South Box 957230 Los Angeles, CA 90095-7230 From: Osorio, Jennifer Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2018 4:25 PM To: All Library Staff <[email protected]> Subject: David Hirsch's retirement Dear Library Staff, With regret, but warm wishes, I'm announcing the retirement from the UCLA Library of David Hirsch, Librarian for Jewish, Middle Eastern, South Asian Studies at UCLA. David's last day in the office will be January 19th, if you would like to stop by and see him before he leaves. David has been an integral part of the UCLA Library since 1989, when he joined us as the Jewish Studies Bibliographer in what was then known as the Bibliographer's Group, a department he also came to lead as Vice Chair and Chair a few years later. Over the years, David has been our liaison for numerous areas, for varying lengths of time, including African Studies, Armenian Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Central Asia, South Asia, Yemeni Studies and so many other areas that I will invariably forget one if I try to list them all. David has definitely suffered from the curse of the polyglot when we've needed someone to take something on, but his insatiable curiosity and relentless work ethic have helped meet the constantly-evolving demands of the job. David's ability to make connections around the world via his many invited talks, State Department-sponsored workshops and book fair participation, along with acquisitions trips, enabled the UCLA Library to build world-class collections in Middle Eastern and Jewish Studies. HIs cultivation of donors and passion for his collections led to endowed funds for a number of his collecting areas, particularly Jewish Studies and Armenian Studies, allowing the Library to document important diaspora communities in Los Angeles and around the world. He's served the profession in a number of organizations, including as President of the Middle East Librarians Association and the Research and Special Libraries' Division of the Association of Jewish Libraries. HIs expertise in building collections was especially highlighted during the two-year sabbatical he took to serve as Chief Librarian and Library Advisor in the National Library of Abu Dhabi, from 2009-2011. And he's continued to be involved in library initiatives such as Collecting LA and the International Digital Ephemera Project (IDEP) until the present day, as well as being an early adopter of collecting non-traditional materials for research, such as ephemera, cookbooks and zines. While David's collection-building has been an obvious part of his activity, many of you may not know as much about his scholarly activity. He's been an adjunct professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Culture for many years, teaching a course on Middle East Bibliography, and has been such an integral part of the Center for Near Eastern Studies, that last year he was asked to serve as temporary chair of their advisory board, the first librarian to do so. Over the course of his career, he's received numerous grants to research and document topics in his areas, such as Latin American Judaica, Middle Eastern emigre publications and Turkish zines. On a more personal note, I would like to add that in spite of how busy he is and how much he travels, David has always been willing to mentor and help newer librarians. As an area studies librarian, I have myself benefited from his expertise and knowledge and will miss him. We wish him the best of luck in his continued endeavors and travel. Jennifer Osorio, MLIS, MA Interim Head, International Studies Librarian for Ethnic Studies, Latin American Studies and Spanish/Portuguese UCLA Library (310) 825-5526
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