Roberta “Bobbie” Tipton Retires after 37 Years of Service

Roberta “Bobbie” Tipton retired from her position as business librarian at Dana Library, effective July 1, 2022.

Bobbie started at Dana Library in 1985, hired as a reference librarian (business). Before coming to Rutgers, she began her library career as a medical librarian at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey, and as a corporate librarian at the Hayden Publishing Company. She is that rare breed that maintained her core responsibility to business librarianship throughout her 37-year career at Rutgers. In 1994, Bobbie added liaison responsibilities for the School of Public Affairs and Administration. Following Ann Watkins’ retirement, she provided library support for Rutgers University–Newark’s nursing program. She is a co-liaison to the Honors Living-Learning Community. She added to her business credentials by earning her MBA from the Graduate School of Management (Rutgers–Newark) in 1993.

Over the years, Bobbie mentored and worked alongside business librarian colleagues Ka-Neng Au, Wen-Hua Ren, and Jonathan Torres. She has authored and co-authored numerous articles and book chapters. Her latest article, “Statewide Access to Business Databases: States, Libraries and Support for Small Business,” co-authored with Ka-Neng Au, was published in Journal of Business and Finance Librarianship in August 2021. She has been a frequent presenter at various conferences, including Virtual Academic Library Environment (VALE), New Jersey Library Association (NJLA), and Special Libraries Association. At the last in-person NJLA conference in 2019, Bobbie presented as part of a panel along with two other Dana colleagues on the topic, “Focusing Student Engagement with Graded Assignments,” She received the NJLA/College and University Section Research Award twice, once in 1991 and again in 2018.

Bobbie has served in state and national professional associations and others, including the boldly named BRASS (Business Reference and Services Section) of the American Library Association, where she is currently a member of the Business Information Sources Committee. Her service to Rutgers includes faculty committees, campus committees (Newark Pandemic Flu Planning Committee, 2007–2009), and search committees. She is a member of the Collections Strategy Task Force and, until recently, served on the Advisory Committee on Appointments and Promotions. It is only coincidental—but in keeping with her dedication—that Bobbie’s last day in the office was spent interviewing a library faculty candidate as a search committee member for the Criminal Justice Librarian position.

Above all else, Bobbie thrives when she helps students and faculty. She is the author of many research guides—and the heir to almost as many; the count is up to 145 active LibGuides. She produced short videos to introduce and guide users through some of these videos. She has been a regular presence at the Dana Library Reference Desk and on the Ask a Librarian schedule. She provided uncounted instruction sessions to Rutgers Business School and School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) classes and the Writing Program at Rutgers–Newark.

Bobbie’s delightful humor brightened our libraries and meeting rooms. It will not surprise many that she compiled “Humor and Work: A Selected Bibliography” for The U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D* Librarian (1994). She has been an indefatigable librarian, devoted to student success, and generous to her colleagues. Bobbie will bring all these qualities to her continued work with learners of English as a second language in her community.