Notable Veterinary Medical Librarians
Winifred "Win" Ewart KISTLER (1919-2008)
- 18 years in veterinary librarianship
- Head, Public Services, Carlson Health Sciences Library, University of California at Davis, 1967-1985
- Veterinary Medical Libraries Group/MLA Chair, 1975/1976; Secretary/Chair-elect , 1974/1975
Major Contributions to Veterinary Librarianship:
Mrs. Kistler graduated from Florida State College for Women in Tallahassee (now Florida State University) in 1939, Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, having served as president of her freshman class, sophomore class, junior class and then student body president in her final year.
In 1961, she chose library science as a career. “Following graduation from the School of Library Science, University of California (UC)-Berkeley, in 1962, she worked in the university’s Main Library and Public Health Library,” as well as assisting part-time at the Berkeley City Library, mainly in the children’s section.
In 1967, she accepted the position of Head of Public Services for the Carlson Health Sciences Library at the University of California at Davis and worked there until her retirement in January 1985. “During those years, she coordinated the move of the library services and collections from cramped temporary quarters to the permanent library facility, which opened in 1977.”
Win was elected Secretary/Chair-Elect of the Veterinary Medical Libraries Group/MLA in 1974/1975 and served as chair of the Group from 1975/1976.
She also was active in her MLA chapter serving as president of the Northern California and Nevada Medical Library Group/MLA [1971/1972], and in MLA itself serving as a member of the Membership Committee/MLA from 1974 to 1977. In addition, she was president of the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Special Libraries Association [1979/1980].
Following retirement in 1985, Win was active in a variety of community projects including serving as president of the Friends of the Davis Public Library and promoting the Davis Branch Library Expansion Project.
“According to Jo Anne Boorkman, AHIP, FMLA, Head of the Carlson Health Sciences Library, ‘she was a model of the highest professionalism and served as a mentor to her colleagues.’”
Selected Publications:
Kirshenbaum A, … Kistler W. The JAL guide to new books and book reviews: reference materials. J Acad Libr. 1981;7(1):58-62.
Publications about Win Kistler:
Boorkman JA. In memoriam Winifred “Win” Kistler 1918-2008. NCNMLG [Northern California and Nevada Medical Library Group] Newsletter. 2008 Jan-Mar;29(3):17-8.
Personals: Winifred (Win) Ewart Kistler. MLA News. 2008 Apr;405:9.
Winifred ‘Win’ Ewart Kistler. [Obituary]. Davis Enterprise. February 6, 2008 <http://www.davisenterprise.com/story.php?id=801.0>