After nearly 25 years of service to Galter Library and Northwestern University, Linda O’Dwyer is retiring to travel the world with her husband. Linda began her career at Galter in 1997 as a library assistant in Circulation, then moved into the Interlibrary Loan and Reference departments. After earning her MSLIS from the University of Illinois in 2001, Linda was promoted to Education Librarian. In 2012 she took on additional communications responsibilities as Education Librarian and Communications Coordinator and in 2017 was promoted to Head, Research and Information Services. In 2019, Linda’s many professional accomplishments were recognized by her peers at the Medical Library Association as she was accepted into the ranks of the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP) as a distinguished member.

Linda has been on the forefront of many initiatives at Galter Library over the years. Her contributions to educational efforts include developing classes and online tutorials for PubMed, EndNote, and many other topics. She also co-developed a half-day systematic review course delivered at two MLA Midwest Chapter meetings. She has co-authored over two dozen systematic or scoping reviews with several more in the publication pipeline and recently co-authored two open-access papers that promise to improve workflows for librarians working on systematic reviews. Linda’s valuable input and keen eye for detail have been pivotal over the course of multiple library website redesigns and digital projects, from the Galter HealthSmart Library to GalterSearch, DigitalHub, and Prism, a next-generation institutional repository slated for release early next summer. Her efforts as Communications Coordinator have significantly increased awareness of Galter programs and services within Feinberg and throughout the broader health sciences library community.

Recently reflecting on her time at the library and NU, Linda said, “It’s hard to believe I’ve spent a quarter-century at Galter and Northwestern, the entirety of my library career. The faculty, students, and researchers I’ve collaborated with over the years kept me busy, challenged, and thoroughly engaged. They’ll be missed! Mostly I’ll miss my amazing colleagues, who do wonderful work daily in supporting Feinberg and rose to the challenge of the last couple of years without missing a step. Galter’s significant contributions to Northwestern and the greater library community will continue, and I’ll be watching proudly from afar as the library moves onto its next phase.”

Linda has been an incredibly generous colleague, always willing to lend a hand, share her knowledge, and train others in best practices for teaching library workshops, systematic review methods, reference interview techniques, and many other professional competencies. Her wit and wisdom have made an impact on so many colleagues at Feinberg and Galter Library over the years. We wish Linda all the best as she prepares to move on to her next adventure!