Page 3 - HIWT Winter 2014 World of Welding

hiwt@welding.org HOBART INSTITUTE OF WELDING TECHNOLOGY

EDITORIAL

CHANGING LIFESTYLES

By Marty Baker
Editor expanded as I learned to use database programs, spreadsheets,
The World of Welding
word processing, and publishing software through trial and
error.

This is a bittersweet moment for me. The World of Welding® became my responsibility – thanks to
And this editorial, while written in my then-supervisor Ray Shook, now Executive Director of the
my mind, is difficult to put on paper. American Welding Society, who believed in me and gave me
It is my time to say goodbye to so encouragement to expand it from an 8-page newsletter format
many of you who have made my to a 36-page professional magazine, going from black and
career worthwhile and rewarding.
white to full color and publishing on a structured schedule.
I began writing articles for that publication, utilizing newly
Thirty-eight years is a long time! In discovered skills and interviewing techniques. I hope you have
fact, some of you may not have been enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing. And I
alive 38 years ago! 2014 marks very much appreciate the contributions made by Marty Rice
my 38 year at Hobart Institute of of Texas, Neil Mansfield of Massachusetts, Biazzio Giordano,
th
Welding Technology. A lot has Jr. of Maryland, Joanna Cohen of Connecticut, various staff
changed over those years.
members of Hobart Institute, and many others.
When Howard Cary (1920-2002) hired me in the library all As early as 1996, HIWT discovered the benefit of websites
those years ago, I had a strong library background but no and I was charged with setting up and managing a school
knowledge of welding. He assured me he could teach me website through a contract with a local vendor, Chris Ruff of
about welding…and he was a great teacher! It did not take Electronic Frontiers. This has grown and evolved many times
long before the terminology was familiar to me. Howard over the past nearly twenty years and just this past year has
made sure I took several of the technical classes that were transitioned to a new vendor, Atomic Interactive, giving www.
offered then, including a weldability of metals course and a welding.org a new look. We have joined the social media
welding technology course. I spent many hours assisting him with Constant Contact® e-newsletters, HIWT Facebook®
and others with locating articles on various topics that were of pages, LinkedIN®, and features on YouTube®. I have
interest at the time.
learned a tremendous amount along the way and provided the
background support for all of these efforts.
Howard also made sure that our library contained “every book
printed about welding” along with the many standards and When the technical instructors were looking for someone
specifications related to welding, not only from the U.S.A., over ten years ago to supervise the American Welding
but from many other countries as well, in addition to many Society’s Certified Welding Inspector/Educator/Supervisor
periodical subscriptions. The library became the largest, Examinations, I was tapped to handle that important function,
privately-owned collection on welding in the U.S. and perhaps assuring that communication with AWS® is always open and
in the world at that time. Howard definitely provided me the exam site is handled professionally. I am grateful to the
with a very strong background and made sure the school and supportive staff at AWS.
company were supported by a great library.
Along the way, I have provided proof-reading services for a
As computers entered the workplace, Howard made sure we few books, edited a several of the HIWT training manuals and
were “connected” to the world’s largest databases of welding worked with the bookstore operations. In addition, the annual
and business information. And he was instrumental in getting course catalog lands on my desk for preparation before moving
the early software for cataloging materials that facilitated on to the publisher. I have provided clerical assistance from
transition so that today, our library may be accessed from time-to-time, written press releases, and assisted numerous
around the world. [http://www.welding.org/s-6-library.aspx].
students with their resumés.
Times changed. Engineers and others began doing their own Over the years, I have worked with no less than eight different
basic research and came to the library for documents to support school presidents, learning from–and with–each one of them.
their work. Now books are printed on demand or perused on (Continued on page 5)
electronic tablets. Supervision changed. My talents also

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