Search committee for Dean of University Libraries announces four finalists selected for campus visits
The search committee for the Dean of University Libraries has announced four finalists selected for campus visits.
Dean Eileen Hitchingham is retiring from her senior leadership position as dean of University Libraries after many years of distinguished service to the university. As part of the interview and selection process for the next dean, Senior Vice President and Provost Mark G. McNamee invites all members of the campus community to meet the outstanding candidates selected for a campus interview.
University and community members are invited to attend the candidate open forum presentations on the topic, “Leading the Virginia Tech Libraries in the 21st Century.” A reception for all University Libraries faculty and staff will follow the open forum presentation. Campus visit dates, each candidate’s curriculum vitae, vision statements, and survey links to provide feedback are located on the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost website. The search committee also encourages all campus and community members to submit feedback via the online surveys.
Donald Gilstrap is associate dean of libraries for technical services at the University of Oklahoma. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma, and a Master of Library Science degree, a master’s degree, and a bachelor’s degree from Emporia State University.
As associate dean, he led the request for proposal and implementation process for integrated library management systems, oversaw the expansion of student spaces in the library, and led the site visit and evaluation process for membership in the Center for Research Libraries. He led several strategic initiatives, including digitizing rare books and manuscripts and migrating Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery to ILLiad.
Prior to his position at the University of Oklahoma, he served as the director of libraries at Southwestern Oklahoma State University reporting to the provost as the chief administrative officer for the libraries. He has numerous publications, including a 2009 book chapter titled, “Librarians and the Complexity of Individual and Organizational Change: Case Study Findings of an Emergent Research Library.”
The open forum presentation is scheduled for Dec. 14 from 9 to 10 a.m. in 207 Newman Library.
Joyce Ogburn is dean of the J. Willard Marriott Library and University Librarian and the University of Utah. She has a master’s degree from Indiana University, a Master of Library Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a bachelor’s degree from University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
As dean, she led an $80 million multiyear project that transformed facilities into a state-of-the-art 21st century library that has received several awards and accolades. She instituted the first Marriott Library Advisory Board and has raised more than $25 million for the library’s portion of the current capital campaign. She formed partnerships with deans and department heads to develop new programs and led the creation of a new strategic plan for the library.
Prior to her appointment at Utah, she served as associate director of libraries at the University of Washington. She is very active professionally and currently serves as vice president and president-elect for the Association of College and Research Libraries.
The open forum presentation is scheduled for Dec. 21 from 9 to 10 a.m. in 207 Newman Library.
Nancy Seamans is dean of libraries at Georgia State. She has a Ph.D. and a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and a Master of Library Science degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
As dean, she is responsible for managing all aspects of the university library, including collaborative work with the campus community and other library leaders in the region. Her key areas of focus are library planning, budget, and innovative uses of resources.
Prior to her appointment at Georgia State, she served as the associate university librarian and director of research and instructional services at the University of Iowa. There, she managed public service departments within the main library and nine branch libraries. She also served as the interim director of the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences where she provided oversight in support of five health sciences colleges. She has several publications, including co-authoring an article in 2002 titled, “Virginia Tech’s Innovative College Librarian Program.”
The open forum presentation is scheduled for Dec. 7 from 9 to 10 a.m. in 207 Newman Library.
Tyler Walters is associate dean of libraries at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Arizona, a master’s degree from North Carolina State University, and a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University.
As associate dean, he leads strategic initiatives and is responsible for collections management and technology programs and coordinates national and state-level technology and scholarly resources initiatives. He led two division strategic reviews in five years resulting in new strategic plans that realigned goals, personnel and other resources. He conceived and led the development of SMARTech and the GALILEO Knowledge Repository.
Prior to his appointment at Georgia Tech, he served as the director of the Institute of Paper Science and Technology’s Haselton Library and Knowledge Center, the largest pulp and paper information center in the world. He is recipient of the ACRL Excellence in Libraries Award, a national tribute to a library and its staff for outstanding services.
The open forum presentation is scheduled for Dec. 3 from 9 to 10 a.m. in 207 Newman Library.
