Bridget Balog celebrates 30 years with the Smithsonian

Bridget currently serves as a Visitor Services Coordinator with the Office of Visitor Services and Volunteer Management. After three decades answering visitors’ questions, is there anything she doesn’t know about the Smithsonian?

Bridget (center) with two of her Public Inquiry Mail volunteers at the 2019 Castle Volunteer Appreciation Event. Courtesy of the Office of Visitor Services and Volunteer Management

On August 29, 1994, Bridget Balog walked into the Smithsonian Castle for her first day as an Editorial Assistant with the Visitor Information and Associates Reception Center (VIARC). Excitedly, she ascended the stairs to her new office space, which was located inside the south tower on the fifth floor… and was adorned with silver chandeliers. Bridget fondly recalls the space and the breath-taking views of the Haupt Garden out the windows. She still jokes that the chandeliers, beautiful as they were, were never polished. But, even in this storybook setting, Bridget was there to get to work. She had been hired to compile the Smithsonian calendar of events and exhibit directory, which were updated monthly and bimonthly, and when changes occurred. At the time, many desks did not yet have internet connection, so everything was done in print. Building coordinators from various museums would routinely make their way to Bridget’s office to pick up reprinted pages and new directories. But, that wasn’t a problem for Bridget who, always thorough and efficient, could grab just enough paper to print the correct number of new pages!

While the position was Bridget’s first employment with the Institution, it was not the first time Bridget had been to a Smithsonian museum. She vividly remembers visiting the Hall of Asian Cultures at the Natural History Museum with her family when she was in elementary school. The family lived in Fort Meade at the time, so a day trip into the city wasn’t too far of an excursion. To this day, Bridget’s preferred Smithsonian museum is the Natural History Museum because it shows change and evolution. She also greatly enjoys visiting the Renwick Gallery, finding the crafts on display and the books in the gift shop to be inspirational. However, Bridget’s favorite Smithsonian highlight is the annual Folklike Festival. In her 30 years with the Institution, Bridget has only missed attending the event once because of a broken foot. She shares that the Festival is what the Smithsonian does best: pulling cultures together, celebrating them, and “getting all cultures to celebrate each other”. Apart from the Smithsonian, Bridget’s museum picks include Glenstone and the National Building Museum, although her favorite thing to do in DC is to try food from all over the world. Bridget is forever on the hunt for great food in the city.

Bridget (left) and her brothers, Tim and Ed, at the Natural History Museum’s Hall of Asian Cultures during a family trip in 1969. (Family photo courtesy of Bridget Balog)

Ed, Bridget’s brother (left), Beth and Megan, her nieces (center), and Bridget (right) recreating the picture from 1969 with the next generation of Balogs. (Family photo courtesy of Bridget Balog)

While Bridget’s responsibilities and title have changed over the years – she’s been an editor, a volunteer coordinator, and an assistant to the unit director – her unit has not. VIARC was the predecessor to the central Office of Visitor Services and Volunteer Management (OVS), where Bridget works today as a Visitor Services Coordinator. Currently, Bridget oversees the Public Inquiry Mail (PIM) program, answering all mail and email from the public along with a group of volunteers she oversees and serves as the department administrator, managing unit purchasing and property. She also is responsible for producing the Smithsonian-wide general visitor guide, currently the Smithsonian Pocket Guide, and signage for the four-sided exterior signs around the Mall and at the Reynolds Center. She, of course, still acts as OVS’s in-house editor as well. And while she’s no longer in a space with unpolished chandeliers – she hasn’t even worked in the Castle since it closed for renovations – she is still an integral part of her unit.

When asked about what advice she’d give to a new hire or new volunteer starting their first day with the Smithsonian, Bridget said, “There’s more to learn here than you think, but you will figure it out in time. It took me two years to feel comfortable doing my job [and to figure] out all my contacts.” She warmly added, “And there’s lots of support all over the Institution [for those looking to learn]”.

Thank you for your 30 years with OVS and VIARC, Bridget! Your accomplishments, dedication, and hard work are deeply appreciated by the colleagues who are lucky enough to serve with you.