In Memoriam: Mark Konecny

UC Libraries faculty and staff, along with friends, students and collaborators, gathered recently to remember and celebrate our colleague and friend Mark C. Konecny, Ph.D., MLIS, who died Thursday, February 10, 2022.

Mark came to UC Libraries in July 2016 in the newly created position of scholarly communications and digital publishing strategist. During his time at UC, Mark spearheaded the establishment of the Libraries scholarly communications program, which entailed consulting with the broader UC faculty community on all matters copyright. Many people noted Mark’s incredible depth of knowledge, willingness to help everyone and his collaborative nature. One person referred to Mark as a “connector of people and ideas.”

Upon the creation of the University of Cincinnati Press, Mark transitioned his role to combine scholarly communications with the work of the Press, focusing his efforts on digital publishing and open access.

Xuemao Wang, vice provost for digital scholarship and dean and university librarian, commended Mark’s can-do attitude and his desire to learn new skills and set higher goals for himself. He noted that he enjoyed and appreciated Mark’s candid and diplomatic way of expressing copyright rules and his ability to present his ideas and create buy-in.

Elizabeth Scarpelli, director of the University of Cincinnati Press, referred to Mark as a social justice advocate as seen in his dedication to open access. “Mark was always thinking of ways to get open resources to the world.” She mentioned how Mark was so much more than just an employee, but family. With several members of the Press staff being transplants to Cincinnati, Liz remembered how they would gather for holidays – both official and made up such as Pi Day.

Current and former Press students spoke of Mark’s mentorship of them and how they appreciated his dry wit, interest and support of their work both within and outside the Press, “if he liked you, he never gave up on you.”

Mark’s contributions to the University of Cincinnati Libraries, Press and the greater UC community will be greatly missed.

For those wishing to honor Mark, please consider sending donations in his memory to the UC Libraries Student Worker Scholarship Fund (F102170), UC Foundation, Attn: Christa Bernardo, PO Box 19970, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219-0970. Online donations are accepted.