Please welcome our new Library Services Coordinator, Sam Lewis!
Sam (she/her) joined the DC History Center team in September 2024 and works to ensure positive researcher experiences at the DC History Center’s Kiplinger Research Library. As a member of the Library and Collections team, Sam supports all aspects of library services, including pulling and reshelving research materials, welcoming researchers to the library, updating catalog records, and inventorying library materials. Her background in library services comes from working in The George Washington University’s Gelman Library as a library assistant, as well as volunteering with her local public library in the circulation department. Sam also works as a Digital Collections Specialist with ASU SolarSPELL.
Sam takes a human-centered approach to library research services. As a student at GW, one of her most memorable projects was her ESIA Dean’s Scholars research project on Patterns of Aging Parent Care Among the Chinese Diaspora. Throughout this two-year experience, Sam interviewed members of the Chinese diaspora on their experiences with aging parent care and how they mirrored the experiences of others in their community. This community-driven approach to research has influenced Sam’s philosophy for library services. History is the collective memory of a group of people that deserves to be remembered and honored in such a way that connects the people from the past to those of the present. Sam hopes to bring this approach to her work at the DC History Center.
Sam is currently pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Maryland College of Information Studies and expects to graduate in May 2025. She also holds a BA in Asian Studies with a minor in History from The George Washington University.