Robert Watkins Leaving Amigos

Earlier this year, Amigos Chief Operations Officer Robert Watkins announced his retirement from Amigos effective June 30, ending a 24-year career that saw him rise steadily through the ranks of the organization, holding numerous positions of increasing responsibility. On the occasion of his pending departure, ¿Que Pasa? sat down with Robert and chatted about his Amigos career and future plans.

QP: So what prompted your decision?

RW: Family considerations mainly. I’m originally from Austin and my family lives there. My mom is not in the best of health, and I’ve had to make several trips there in recent months to help care for her. My goal has long been to get back there someday and, all things considered, this just seemed like the right time.

QP: You’re putting the cap – should we say sombrero? – on an illustrious Amigos career. What are some of your highlights?

RW: I joined Amigos back in 1987, starting and managing the old Bibliographic Resource Center, where we managed contract retrospective conversion, cataloging, and union listing. I also managed our Computer Services Department, which conducted database prep services for libraries. These services ended as Amigos Members began to automate their libraries and no longer needed this type of assistance. Amigos was one of the first organizations in the country to conduct database prep services for libraries installing online catalogs.

I later moved into managing other service units for Amigos, including Member Discount Services and marketing and sales for the OCLC/Amigos Collection Analysis Systems and BioOne. For the last several years I have been the Associate Executive Director (recently changed to Chief Operations Officer). In this role I’ve administered all member service programs.

QP: What are you the most proud of?

RW: Oh, wow. There’s so much. Overall, I’d have to say that being involved in the ways Amigos generates revenue to support member programs has been enormously satisfying. Amigos has a history of providing services that extend beyond our membership with the goal of generating revenue to support member programs. The Bibliographic Resource Center, our national marketing and sales roles with the OCLC/Amigos Collection Analysis Systems, BioOne, and other scholarly publications were programs designed to meet that goal.

Amigos Members always benefited when we took on projects that could also be accessed by non-members, and we took on services that were needed by the library community as a whole. I hope all Amigos Members take pride in the fact that through Amigos they are helping to address important issues facing the library community in a positive, supportive manner and, in many instances, in ways that most individual libraries could not do alone. That’s the beauty of collaboration through Amigos.

I’m really proud to have been a part of Amigos’ senior management team and how we have been able to plow the field, so to speak, so Amigos managers and staff can deliver the high quality services they provide to Amigos Members. I believe one of the most important aspects of my job has been to facilitate the ability of managers and staff to be successful. I’m proud to have been able to work with such smart and dedicated staff.

And as a librarian, I’m proud of how Amigos helps libraries meet their mission to serve their communities. I believe in the vital role libraries play in their communities, not only by enriching people’s lives but also helping them better their lot in life.

QP: So what’s next for you?

RW: I don’t know yet. As I said, I want to get to Austin to be closer to my family. Once I get there and get settled I’ll give it some thought. In the meantime, I’ll just be an Austin hippie.