From the Vice Provost and Dean - Spring 2017

I am often asked why I say I have the best job in the world, as the Dean of University Libraries. The answer is always, “the people.”

Just two examples:

Lauren Pressley, director of the UW Tacoma Library and associate dean of UW Libraries, has been elected Vice President/President Elect of ACRL, the Association of College and Research Libraries!  This is a great achievement for Lauren, and an honor for UW Libraries and UW Tacoma.

With about 11,000 members, ACRL is the largest division of the American Library Association (ALA).

Lauren will be instated as Vice President at the ALA annual conference in Chicago this June; next summer she will begin her year-long duties as President of ACRL, followed by a year of service as Past President.

Her role will include working with the ACRL board of directors in setting goals and directions that will help shape the future of the association, the profession, and higher education.

And, Mary St. Germain, head of Near East Section, International Studies at University Libraries, has received this year’s Distinguished Librarian Award.

Mary will be recognized at a campus-wide ceremony at Kane Hall on June 8, 3:30 p.m.

According to one of Mary’s nomination letters, “In a tireless career at the UW spanning five decades, Mary St. Germain has made continuous major contributions to the UW’s and the Libraries’ standing as one of the most important centers in the U.S. for international studies.

Whether during her first decades as a cataloger of international studies monographs and serials, or in her role since 2000 as UW’s Near East studies librarian, responsible for collection development, reference and user instruction — in every position Mary has held, she has performed to the highest standards and achieved prodigious results visibly benefiting scholars at the UW and nationwide.”

Please join me in congratulating these outstanding members of our Libraries team.

- Lizabeth (Betsy) Wilson