JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – It’s Mission Monday. Meet Michelle Aguirre, the chief librarian for the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Technical Information Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.
Aguirre manages the TIC and directly support the research and development work conducted by AFCEC’s Readiness Directorate. She’s also responsible for the information needs of the full AFCEC community including subject matter experts, engineers and scientists, and all members across the center.
Aguirre’s work includes conducts complex searches within commercial and Department of Defense literature sources, research consultations in support of the AFCEC R&D team, negotiations and acquisitions of information resources and evaluations of their quality, managing access to databases and online resources, and the development and analysis of a print collection and digital archive.
She also serves as the scientific and technical information officer for the directorate, providing technical editing of technical reports and publications, coordinating the review for all STINFO products and assisting her directorate’s engineers and scientists with publishing all STINFO products.
We asked the Inverness, Florida, native to tell us a little more about herself and the work she does for the Department of the Air Force.
What do you love about your job?
I’m deeply passionate about customer service and helping others. I also love the dynamic and multifaceted nature of my role as a librarian within the Air Force and Department of Defense. The opportunity to manage a vast array of resources — from cutting-edge research papers to essential digital content, databases and copyrighted materials — is incredibly fulfilling. I thrive on the challenge of ensuring that our personnel have access to the most relevant and accurate information, which empowers them to excel in their respective fields. It’s the best job I could ever ask for!
When it comes to your job, what keeps you motivated?
Being a part of a larger mission and contributing to the innovation and advancement of our nation is incredibly motivating. The satisfaction of seeing personnel effectively utilize the resources I manage to achieve their goals and push the boundaries of what's possible in their fields is a significant motivator for me.
Why are you and your team important to the Air Force and Space Force enterprise and your customers?
I’m one of only a few technical librarians within the DAF. Our DAF scientists, engineers, researchers, subject matter experts, Airmen and Guardians must have access to mission-critical, cutting-edge and innovative research from the DOD, within academia and private industry. It’s my job to ensure they can access that information anytime, anywhere. In today’s society where we are flooded with misinformation and false data, this couldn’t be more important to our success as a nation.
Describe a project or event you and your team worked on recently that gave you a great sense of accomplishment:
I’m currently working with a team of AFCEC SME engineers to digitize their collection of AFCEC and DAF historical documents. In other words, we’re converting old paper documents to searchable PDFs. These documents contain the historical developments of the standards and regulations behind the DAF civil engineering community’s technical guidance. The manuals, engineering letters, etc. are the “why and how” behind DAF facilities and infrastructure systems standards for design, construction, operations and maintenance. The preservation and ease of access to this vault of information — regardless of where in the world a SME on temporary duty assignment may find themselves — is crucial to the continued expertise that is supplied to combatant and major commands. It’s incredible to see the memos, forms and research that went into the creation of our modern CE policies, instructions and guidance. It certainly provides a great sense of accomplishment knowing that they will be preserved and made more accessible.
How does what you do support AFIMSC’s strategic priorities?
My daily focus is on supporting all AFCEC staff with meeting their mission of delivering civil engineer expertise, strengthening installations and enhancing combat power. My job directly supports AFIMSC’s priorities by ensuring that our personnel are equipped with the knowledge and tools they need for operational excellence. By meticulously managing and providing access to a wealth of information and resources, I facilitate informed decision-making and innovation.
Is there anything else you’d like to add which might help people understand the importance of what you do for the Department of the Air Force?
I like to think of myself as an information expert. I would estimate that 90% of the requests I receive is for information that a simple or even complex Google search will never be able to locate.