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Sharing Pitt Memories

Students Pioneering Library Science

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Sally Bachelder Keil (SLIS '73):

Wanting to learn about the (then!) very new field of information sciences, but being very unsure of my ability to be successful in it—as I had no computing background nor strong math skills—I was relieved and inspired by the welcoming speech of the school's dean, Allen Kent, who became my advisor. He gave me excellent advice on class selections and the opportunity to interview with Libby Duncan for a job in the library helping students learn The New York Times Information Bank. Pitt was pioneering in getting this brand new database technology on campus, and I was able to participate in it from the beginning.

Based on this strong foundation gained at Pitt's Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences, I was hired by The New York Times upon graduation and went on to pursue a career in databases and information technology. I ultimately founded a software company directed toward product quality data acquisition, storage, analysis, and management and have grown that company very successfully for the last 25 years. I credit Pitt with getting me launched in this new field so very successfully.