After 38 years of exceptional service, Peter Kim will be retiring from Stanford University Libraries January 4, 2016. We in Acquisitions are extremely sad to say farewell but are grateful for all he has done for the department and SUL.

Peter started working in Serials when he was a student at Stanford. He soon earned a permanent position and through the years has managed virtually every unit in the Acquisitions department. He became Payments Manager in 2000 and has worked constantly to align the unit with the most current University practices. His successes in Payments are too many to list here, but I’m sure we can all appreciate his patient and protracted work with the University to enable Acquisitions to pay for library materials through bank transfers.

A master at operational logistics, Peter’s ability to solve complicated workflow problems will be sorely missed. When Acquisitions moved to the fourth floor of Meyer Library, Peter devoted a significant amount of time to solving an unexpected and seemingly simple problem that turned out to be quite complicated: efficiently getting cardboard packing materials from the fourth floor to the recycle area. Peter was also instrumental in some of the major systems changes at SUL. He served on the NOTIS Ninjas committee and was on the team tasked with learning Sirsi Unicorn and creating a staff training program when the system was implemented. Peter understood the Sirsi structure and Acquisitions workflow implications before anyone else on the team and thus was a key player in the ILS implementation.

Almost every vendor, large or small, in the library world has Peter’s contact info and he is known both externally and internally as consistent and fair in his management of invoices and statements. He has built strong relationships with bibliographers as well and his advice is respected and welcomed. News of his pending retirement has been received with gasps and sighs as those who’ve worked with him ponder a workplace (and a fiscal year close) without Peter’s calm and steady presence.

Since he has been a fixture at department happy hour events, and has hosted many memorable staff luncheons at his home, the Payments Unit thought it fitting to host a casual gathering in his honor. We hope you will drop in and join us in celebrating Peter’s career at Stanford and wishing him a wonderful retirement.

Peter Kim Retirement Gathering

Monday, January 4

2-4 pm

Lathrop 3^rd floor Courtyard

(4^th Floor staff room in case of inclement weather)