January 21, 2011 -- In October, Liz Timms joined the Office of Strategic Initiatives as an Administrative Specialist in the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program. Timms comes to NDIIPP after 30 years of experience in similar positions elsewhere in the Library.
Photo credit: Barry Wheeler
She started at the Library of Congress in the spring of 1980, working with the office of Construction and Design. "It was an exciting time to be in that job" she says, "just before the opening of the Madison Building, with constant activity all around." She was also given a very special role as the trusted "gatekeeper" for the new building, which meant she had the one master key allowing workers entry to all the spaces before the building opened.
At that time, Dr. Daniel Boorstin was the Librarian of Congress, and since Timms had a hand in helping organize his office before he moved in, she was able to get to know Boorstin and his staff. Eventually, this helped her land a job on his administrative staff. "What a fascinating place to be," she says "I was able to come in contact with so many interesting people on a daily basis." When Dr. Boorstin left in 1987, she continued on in that capacity for Dr. Billington’s office, and after that, did a stint in the Library’s Office of the Inspector General.
In 1995, she moved to an administrative position within the Library Services unit, specifically the Network Development and MARC Standards office, where she stayed until this year. "I really enjoyed my time in that office, which turned out to be half my career at the Library" she says.
Since Timms clearly had long-term success in the MARC Standards Office, why then was she interested in the move to NDIIPP? Her face lights up as she describes her interest in the entire digital preservation effort, and how that inspired her to want to be a part of it. "When you think about how much data is lost on a daily basis, digital preservation becomes such an important part of our lives."
Timms is filling a vital role here in NDIIPP. Good administrative staff is a valuable asset in any office, to help facilitate and make sense of the paperwork required in a large organization, and performing a range of tasks that help keep things running smoothly.
In this new job, she will provide administrative support to all the NDIIPP managers.
Timms was born in Washington, DC and has lived in this area most of her life. Her husband, Michael Timms, works for the Library in Information Technology Services.
