Charles King has been with the NIH for 27 years and serves as a Technical Information Specialist for the NIH Library. He is the point of contact for the 3D Printing Service as well as video editing. In addition, he supports reference assistance work for the information desk and document delivery services.
The 3D Printing Service has been a part of the NIH Library for many years officially launching in 2014. However, in recent years the program and service have enhanced to become more advanced while meeting the ever-evolving technological needs of customers and clients.
One of his favorite aspects about the program is the customer satisfaction of the products.
“How the process works, if a researcher has designed their model, they can go to our website and click a link where they'll attach their model files. We also can recommend model templates for beginners that are still learning how to do design.
Let's say a customer wants a model of a lung, instead of trying to design a model we can help them find the right template. Once I get their model file, I do all the processing, setting up and then contact them once their item is ready for pick up from the library.
When they finally see their model, they're so happy. And it's usually because they've spent a lot of time doing the early groundwork. So, when they have something physical, they're always very appreciative of the services the library provides. That could be a prototype for a piece of laboratory equipment or a molecular structure that they've been working on."
He also enjoys working with the Training and Communication department to create and develop promotional videos for the NIH Library. These videos are often used for many events, symposiums, conferences and marketing.
Charles's role is also one that has had many evolutions with the progression of technology. As things have become more digital in comparison to the physical era of the past, Charles and his NIH Library team have been ahead of the curve when it comes to growth and the anticipation of change.
“Many of the journals are now in a digital capacity. When I first started, my responsibilities included re-shelving, photocopying and retrieving journals for interlibrary loan."
Charles enjoys suspenseful and action filled TV shows like “Game of Thrones" as well as mysteries and Sci-Fi. He's also into wildlife and has a 55-inch freshwater aquarium and 40-inch saltwater aquarium. He's from the DC metropolitan area.
