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Name: Bob Pringle Location: Intercollegiate College of Nursing / WSU College of Nursing Consortium larger version) |
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When Bob Pringle first arrived in Spokane he expected to stay for, perhaps, 5 or 6 years before moving on to new challenges. Now, some 20 years later, he confesses, "the biggest surprise is that I've stayed as long as I have. I really do enjoy coming to work each day. The job has not stopped changing in 20 years." As Head Librarian of the Betty M. Anderson Library, Bob heads up a team of 2 librarians and 4 library staff while overseeing service for the faculty and students of the Intercollegiate College of Nursing (formerly ICNE)/WSU College of Nursing consortium. Physically headquartered in Spokane, the College of Nursing has branches in Tri-Cities, Yakima, and Vancouver and is supported by WSU, EWU, Gonzaga, and Whitworth. As a result, he says, "this job requires a lot of networking with library staff and faculty scattered around the state. We share solutions so each of us provides better service to our primary clientele." While networking does make up a significant portion of his work, providing reference service counts as Bob's favorite part of the job. He particularly enjoys the reference interview, describing it as a process of helping individuals explore the initial question or topic in order to uncover more precise ways of identifying what they really need. The challenge, he says, is "finding out what the real question or real information is." This process of "getting to the real question" has proven beneficial in other areas of his life as well. For instance, through his local church Bob has served as the software consultant for an ecumenical food bank in Spokane. His work with the food bank, in part, consists of helping the director determine exactly what they need and want from the software and then helping them learn how to use it. For recreation Bob most often turns to reading. Currently his favorite books include the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. "If anybody wants a good laugh as well as social commentary," he remarks, "they should try Terry Pratchett." He also enjoys movies, citing "anything with Danny Kaye in it" as his favorite. And, he says, "my outdoor activity is camping, with or without the Boy Scouts." His family, which includes his wife, 4 sons ages 11 to 25 and a dog, particularly enjoys camping "at Grand Coulee or over in Northern Idaho, which," he indicates, "are two very different experiences." They also enjoy Spokane's Riverfront Park, which has "an antique carousel and other amenities." In fact, declaring "I've decided I'm a middle-sized town person", Bob is clearly pleased to be in Spokane. "Though I came by accident because of the job," he says, "I've been happy to stay for the 20 years." - Judith Ashworth |
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