Meet the Special Library - BBN Technologies Library
by Tina Clayton, tclayton@bbn.com

BBN Technologies is a unique research and development company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Formed in 1948 by MIT professors Richard Bolt and Leo Beranek and former MIT student, Robert Newman, BBN began as a small acoustic consulting firm. Over the past 55 years, the company has developed into a pioneer in advanced technology and research and development. BBN’s world-renowned scientists have made astounding leaps in the world of technology, developing such innovations as ARPANET (the forerunner to the Internet), email, speech recognition systems, and the world’s first quantum cryptography network.

Through it all, the BBN Library has remained an extremely valuable asset to the company and its employees. The library dates back to the early 1960s and has endured through corporate acquisitions, separations and transitions. Assimilated by GTE in the mid-1990s and transformed into a Verizon subsidiary in early 2000, BBN and its library have been through some tumultuous times with incredible shifts in management styles and employee population. But through times of prosperous tranquility as well as times of recession and transition, the researchers, scientists and communications professionals have made it very clear to the upper echelons of management that the BBN Library is important and that the BBN librarians are respected.

Much of the library’s longevity and success can be attributed to its staff. Anchored in a world of innovation and technological advancement, the small library staff has always strived to bring accurate, concise information to patrons as quickly as possible. Fast, friendly customer service is a priority. But excellent service is of no value without patrons to serve. For this reason, the librarians at BBN have always endeavored to make the library a presence in the company. The library manager, Jennie Connolly, feels that the initial method of contact is irrelevant; it doesn’t matter what brings patrons into the library. Perhaps they are searching for research materials or maybe they want to read the latest issue of Newsweek. Whatever their needs, the librarians are eager to help. The key is creating an environment where patrons feel comfortable and at ease. When patrons realize how much the librarians can accomplish on their behalf, consider how much time can be saved, and recognize how painless and pleasant the experience can be, they will come back.

BBN scientists and researchers tackle new ground across a wide range of disciplines every day, and the small library staff is constantly presented with new challenges. Armed with a multitude of print and electronic resources, three staff librarians meet the demands of an eclectic group of scientists, programmers and communications specialists, providing everything from highly technical research to patent and prior art searches. There is no territoriality within the BBN Library; each person assumes tasks as they arrive and helps others when and where they are able. There is no job too big or too small for these librarians. But they do have their specialties. Penny Steele-Perkins has been with BBN for fifteen years and is an unparalleled document delivery librarian. With her vast experience and comprehensive knowledge of information resources and document repositories, there is very little that eludes Penny’s grasp.  Employees are never disappointed when Penny is on the job. Jennie Connolly, the library manager has been with the company for ten years. With a background in corporate and public libraries, Jennie possesses an extensive and broad knowledge base and extraordinary people skills. She knows every employee by name and always has time for questions from any employee on any topic. Without Jennie’s commitment to the library and her vision of its place within the company, the BBN library would not be what it is today. The newest member of the library team is Tina Clayton, a research librarian whose background encompasses library networks, computers, public libraries and various science fields. Together these remarkable librarians manage dozens of requests spanning a myriad of disciplines every day, which are as important to the R&D process as any research scientist.

Relocated in December 2002 to a showcase space near the company’s central dining hall, the physical library at BBN is impressive. Often used as a recruiting tool for new hires, the spacious, open library is home to approximately 500 journals and 12,000 books. Primarily a technical library, the Cambridge-based BBN Library serves approximately 650 employees in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Virginia, and Maryland, providing research, document delivery, interlibrary loan and circulation services. The collection is constantly changing and driven largely by the projects BBN staff members undertake. Employee recommendations are highly valued and help to enhance the scientific and technical collection greatly.

Currently BBN is expanding beyond its government customer base, adding an entirely new division that specializes in bringing BBN’s state of the art technology to new markets and areas of industry. For example, BBN has developed highly marketable technological advancements such as AVOKE (a speech recognition and language translation system), the first real-time foreign broadcast monitoring system, and the world's first stereoscopic digital mammography system. This shift towards business development outside of the government space has created a demand for competitive intelligence and market research from within the company and a need to protect intellectual property. BBN librarians are working closely with this new division to identify prospective markets, potential partners or subcontractors, possible competitors, and existing patents and prior art.

On the horizon, the BBN library intends to significantly enhance the company’s electronic repository of information, MIMIR. This major archival project will involve scanning and cataloging thousands of slides and hundreds of documents to preserve the history and heritage of BBN.

BBN’s greatest assets are its employees. Through changes of ownership, periods of consolidation, separation, and independence, BBN has never lost sight of this important ideal. One of BBN’s core values states, “We value the professional contributions of others, and recognize that team effort produces superior solutions.” In an age when true corporate libraries are becoming the exception rather than the rule, the BBN library is still alive and continues to be a valuable tool within the company. The BBN Library is a real library and the library’s legacy survives.

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