SLIS alumnus Sheldon Kotzin (MLS ’68), will retire from his position as the Associate Director of Library Operations at the National Library of Medicine (Bethesda, Maryland) in June 2012.

The following excerpt provided by Melanie Modlin, Deputy Director, NLM/NIH Office of Communications, outlines his career and many accomplishments:

“Sheldon Kotzin, FMLA, Associate Director for Library Operations at the National Library of Medicine, will retire on June 29, 2012 after more than 43 years at NLM. Kotzin earned a Master of Library Science degree from Indiana University in 1968 and, following graduation, came to the NLM as a Library Associate.

He subsequently served as Head, Catalog Maintenance Unit in the Technical Services Division, Head of the Collection Access Section (then Loan and Stack) in the Public Services Division, and Coordinator of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (then the Regional Medical Library Network).

Kotzin became Chief of the Bibliographic Services Division in 1981 and was appointed to his current position in 2006. Since 1998, Kotzin has served as Executive Editor of MEDLINE and Administrator of the Literature Selection Technical Review Committee, the body that reviews and recommends journals for indexing in MEDLINE. He has also served as NLM's representative to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, a group of 14 clinical journal editors who establish standards for submission of journal articles and comment on ethical principles related to publication in biomedical journals. Kotzin has chaired the Janet Doe Lecture Jury and the Joseph Leiter Lectureship Committee for the Medical Library Association (MLA), which elected him a fellow in 2007. Kotzin will miss his many colleagues at NLM, MLA, libraries and library schools, and in the publishing field, but looks forward to spending time traveling with his wife of nearly 44 years, Loretta, and spending time with his four grandchildren.”

Posted May 18, 2012