Miss Patricia Gaw steps down as the Head of Acquisitions, Technical Services Division with effect from 8 June 1996. She has been in charge of the Acquisitions Department for 24 years, since July 1972.
Pat is most proud of helping to build up the Singapore/Malaysia Collection (SMC) in the Library. As a culmination of all the joint efforts of many library staff from different departments in building up the SMC over the years, it gave her great joy to see the collection produced as SMC Ondisc .
Another aspect of her work that gives Pat great pleasure is when a teaching staff walks in to request that we purchase an item and she is able to say we already have the item or that we have put an order for it. This would mean that the Library has anticipated the needs of the teaching staff. As Raganathan's Laws of Library Science says: Books are for use; Every reader, his book; Every book, its reader; Save the time of the reader; and A library is a growing organism.
Back in the old days, every time a new issue of an annual serial title was received, it was recorded in these large volumes. The library staff had to take note of the title, remove the card from the shelf list, amend the holding in pencil and file back the card. It was a laborious task. In 1965, Pat helped the Library convert to the visible index where new issues received were recorded on these sheets arranged alphabetically by title in a tray. Library staff and users could then check the visible index for the library holdings of a particular journal. It saved the time for the library staff as they need not amend the shelf list every time a new issue was received.
Pat has enjoyed working with a 'great bunch' of colleagues in the Library. As for what she will be doing after her resignation, Pat plans to take an extended holiday and enjoy doing nothing for a while.
Pat Gaw's Curriculum Vitae | |
|---|---|
| August 1961-July 1962 | Library Assistant, Nottinghamshire County Library, England |
| October 1962-June 1964 | Assistant Librarian, Royal Statistical Society Library, England |
| September 1964-July 1968 | Library Assistant (Qualified), University of Singapore Library. Responsible for Serials in the Acquisitions Dept. |
| August 1968-July 1970 | Seconded to the Ministry of Defence, Singapore. Set up a library for the Singapore Command & Staff College. |
| August 1970-May 1971 | Library Assistant (Qualified), University of Singapore Library. Assistant to Head of Cataloguing. |
| August 1971-April 1972 | Head, Technical Services, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Canada. |
| July 1972-July 1996 | Senior Assistant Librarian to Principal Assistant Librarian & Head, Acquisitions. |