Tag Archives: library staff

UC Libraries names Brian Gray Associate Dean of Collections

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brian gray

Brian Gray will join the University of Cincinnati Libraries on October 21, 2024 as associate dean of collections. In this role, he will join the Libraries’ senior leadership team to be a part of a continuing transformation, working to realize our mission and strategic directions. Gray will be responsible for managing general collections, preservation, special collections and archives within UC Libraries. In addition, he’ll serve as the senior administrator for the Archives & Rare Books Library, John Miller Burnam Classics Library and the Albino Gorno Memorial (CCM) Library.

Gray has an M.B.A in organizational development & leadership from Case Western Reserve University, a masters of library and information science from Kent State University with a focus on management, and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Akron. He comes to UC from Case Western Reserve University where he served as the collection strategies librarian. Previous roles include the team leader of research services, research services librarian of chemical and bio-molecular engineering and macro-molecular science, as well as head of reference.

“I look forward to working with Brian and welcome him to the UC community,” said Liz Kiscaden, dean and university librarian. “His experience and knowledge of OhioLINK, collection development, reference and research will make him a wonderful associate dean for collections especially as we embark on implementing our new strategic plan.”

Staff Picks: Recommendations from the collections of UC Libraries

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Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, a graphic novel, documentary and historical fiction can all be found in the Staff Picks exhibit on display on the 4th floor lobby of the Walter C. Langsam Library. Highlighting the collections of UC Libraries, the exhibit gives recommendations and blurbs from library staff and includes such titles as: “The Feather Thief,” “Being Human,” “Lincoln in the Bardo,” “Monarch,” “The Glass Hotel” and so much more.

staff picks book covers

A bibliography is available for pickup at the exhibit and displayed below.

Staff Picks was curated by Melissa Cox Norris, director of library communication, and designed by communications design co-op student Lexi Davis.

Happy Reading.

bibliography

“Finding My Space:” Meshia Anderson recounts her experience at this summer’s IDEAL conference

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By Meshia Anderson, interlibrary loan specialist, UC Libraries

Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging are often terms associated with those in marginalized communities. Finding a space that allows one to be authentic, feel a sense of belonging and add value to the lives of others is what I set out to do. Just over a year ago, I sought to find unique professional development opportunities that would allow me to serve as a key contributor to Equity and Inclusion practices, enhance current skills and adapt new ones and contribute to the support of marginalized communities.

IDEAL Conference 2024, Association of Research Libraries, ARL, Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility in Libraries & Archives (IDEAL) Conference. Photo by Harry Choi.

As a result of my pursuit, I was selected to serve as member of the ARL/IDEAL Conference Planning Task Force and to additionally serve as Production Committee Co-chair. The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) offered a great opportunity for me to connect with those exhibiting my same passion for Equity and Inclusion practices. The task force consisted of 10 members outside of ARL, primarily deans and department heads, in addition to multiple ARL directors, which presented a significantly inclusive experience for me. More than 70 volunteers across the United States and Canadian Universities, along with additional ARL staff, contributed to the conference success serving well over 500 attendees.

My role as a task force member allowed me the opportunity to provide suggestions and/or feedback for the conference working groups as conference plans progressed. The Production Team in particular was responsible for overall onsite conference support. As co-chair, I oversaw all aspects of onsite conference check-in and information support locations throughout the conference, providing training for multiple shifts in those work spaces and providing support for my co-chair who oversaw most other volunteer spaces. Initial training lead by ARL leadership for task force members and volunteers helped to establish conference standards and safety expectations.

Continue reading →

University of Cincinnati Libraries Seeks Two Associate Deans

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The University of Cincinnati Libraries is currently seeking two Associate Deans (AD) to join the senior leadership team and be a part of continuing the transformation of the research library at the university. As a member of the senior leadership team, the ADs work collaboratively to realize the UC Libraries vision and strategic directions.

Associate Dean for Collections

The Associate Dean for Collections champions the implementation of the UC Libraries strategic plan and takes responsibility for meeting goals pertaining to collection management, preservation and special collections. The AD has programmatic, strategic, budgetary, managerial and operational responsibilities for the following libraries and departments in the University of Cincinnati Libraries: Collections, Content Services, Preservation, the Archives & Rare Books Library, Classics Library and College-Conservatory of Music Library.

Essential Functions

  • Collaborates with the Dean and senior leaders to identify UC Libraries’ needs, establish priorities, and develop goals, objectives, actions and measures of success. 
  • Leads the overall strategy and direction for units associated with collections, including acquisitions, metadata, digital projects and digitization, e-resource management, physical collections management and preservation.  
  • Develops and implements policies, procedures and best practices surrounding collection development and content strategy, including acquisition, licensing, description, preservation and withdrawal. 
  • Promotes the accessibility and use of special collections and archives to provide distinctive materials for learning and research. 
  • Plans and administers UC Libraries’ collections budget; collaborates with the business office and Content Services on budget reporting, monitoring and forecasting, invoice payment and fiscal year open/close. 
  • Determines budget allocations for UCL selectors and offers direction on budgets, renewals and licensing, vendor relations and related topics. 
  • Serves as the primary contact for vendors around a wide range of collections and related items paid on collections funds. 
  • Collaborates with internal UC offices, such as the Office of General Counsel, on processing license agreements and contracts related to collections. 
  • Collaborates with the UC Controller’s Office and Enterprise Risk Management regarding library collections valuation and statistics for the purpose of capital asset calculation and property insurance determination.


Associate Dean for Operations and User Services

The Associate Dean for Operations and User Services has programmatic, strategic, budgetary, managerial and operational responsibilities for the following libraries and departments in the University of Cincinnati Libraries: circulation, reserves, interlibrary loan, facilities and user experience. 

Essential Functions

  • Collaborates with the Dean and senior leaders to identify needs, establish priorities, and develop goals, objectives, actions and measures of success. 
  • Leads the overall strategy and direction of UC Libraries operations and user services, including administering policies, procedures and best practices. 
  • Leads daily operations for service desks, stacks maintenance, reserves processing, resource sharing and physical spaces. 
  • Drives the continuous improvement of user experiences throughout UC Libraries spaces – both physical and virtual.
  • Develops and oversees UC Libraries data collection and analysis, including reporting to national and institutional surveys. 
  • Fosters a culture of evidence-based decision-making through ongoing assessment of library operations and user experience. 
  • Recruits, hires, evaluates, develops and retains multiple faculty and staff that meet or exceed user expectations. 
  • Achieves organizational effectiveness through the successful management of financial and personnel resources. 
  • Fosters a culture of excellence through creating a respectful workplace environment. 
  • Chairs and serves on committees related to areas of responsibility or assigned by the Dean. 
  • Represents UC Libraries at regional, national and global professional engagements with the expectation of raising UC Library’s visibility and reputation. 

More information on both AD positions, including qualifications and how to apply, are available on the UC Libraries web site.

Angela Jackson joins UC Libraries as the associate to the dean and university librarian

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angela jackson

On October 31, 2023, Angela Jackson joined the University of Cincinnati as associate to the dean and university librarian. Angela has been a part of the University of Cincinnati and UC Health organization since 2015, providing executive support to physicians and executive leadership within the College of Medicine for UC Health. Prior to accepting this role, Angela was the executive assistant to the SVP, chief operating officer, and vice president of Physician Network within the Ambulatory administration for UC Health.

Angela is a native of Cincinnati, and in her spare time loves to spend quality time with family, binge watching episodes of HGTV and taking long walks outside while listening to music from the 80’s and 90’s.

Welcome, Angela!

Tiffany Grant Awarded the 2023 Marian Spencer Equity Ambassador Award for Faculty

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tiffany grantTiffany Grant, PhD, assistant director for research and informatics and co-director of the University of Cincinnati Libraries Research and Data Services Unit, in a ceremony held April 4, was honored to receive the 2023 Marian Spencer Equity Ambassador Award for Faculty. Named for the celebrated civil rights activist, this award is designed to showcase current campus-affiliated individuals and groups whose efforts relate to diversity, equity and inclusion and who have had a positive impact on the university.

Nominated by her colleagues, Tiffany was commended for her commitment to promoting awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion; exhibiting sensitivity to people of various cultures; facilitating growth among colleagues and peers; preparing students, faculty and staff to thrive in a diverse and global workforce; and collaborating with colleagues to create and implement initiatives and policies that build an equitable and inclusive environment. One nominator wrote of Tiffany that she, “embodies the spirit and dedication to spreading awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in all her work at the University of Cincinnati.” Continue reading →

Graduating Student Workers: Thank you!

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The UC Clermont College Library is grateful for all of the assistance and hard work provided by our Student Workers. These helpful people can regularly be found behind our information desk, checking out items for you or locating that exact material you need. They also keep all of our books shelved and organized.

As the academic year comes to a close, we want to specifically recognize our two graduating Student Workers: Hannah Johnson and Jeremy Ison. Continue reading →

Edward Snyder officially joins UC Libraries as endpoint specialist

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edward snyderAs of Monday, Feb. 27, Edward Snyder is now a full-time member of the UC Libraries staff as an endpoint specialist in LibraryIT Services.

Eddie has been with UC Libraries since October of 2020 both as a co-op and student assistant providing IT support throughout the various library locations and units. Since graduating from UC in May of 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, he has worked full-time with the Libraries as a temp employee. In that time, he has proven to be a valuable member of the IT team and we are happy that he has decided to continue his employment with us.

Welcome, officially, Eddie to UC Libraries!

Nimisha Bhat joins UC Libraries as assistant librarian

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nimisha bhatNimisha Bhat joined the University of Cincinnati Libraries on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 as assistant librarian and liaison to the departments of History, Anthropology, and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Students.

Nimisha holds an MS in library and information science from Pratt Institute, School of Library and Information Science.

She comes to UC from Smith College where she was the visual arts librarian, planning and implementing research, instruction and reference support for faculty and students, as well as developing and managing collections in print, electronic and other formats for the visual arts, architecture, film and media studies. Prior to Smith College, Nimisha worked at Columbus College of Arts and Design and The Ohio State University Libraries.

Welcome, Nimisha!

Aja Bettencourt-McCarthy joins UC Libraries as Science & Engineering Global Services Librarian

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Aja Bettencourt-McCarthyAja Bettencourt-McCarthy joined the University of Cincinnati Libraries on February 1, 2023 as the science & engineering global services librarian.

Aja holds an MLIS degree from University of Washington and Bachelor’s degrees (French, community and regional development) from the University of California, Davis.

Aja may be a familiar face to many as she comes to UC Libraries from the Faculty Enrichment Center, located in the Walter C. Langsam Library, where she was the manager of special projects and programs.  Aja brings a wealth of experience in science and engineering academic librarianship, including previous positions in instruction and public services. Prior to arriving at UC, Aja was the STEM instruction librarian at the University of Kentucky (UK). Before UK, she worked as instruction coordinator / head of public services at the Oregon Institute of Technology’s Library.

Welcome, Aja to UC Libraries!