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A Note from the Dean: Forging a Plan for the Future
As I begin my second full semester at the University of Cincinnati as dean and university librarian, I’m struck by how much we’ve done this year and I am energized for the future. A great deal of the work undertaken during fall semester was about taking stock of where we are. I embarked on a listening tour of all UC Libraries’ departments to better understand the priorities of our frontline staff and, perhaps just as important, to understand the culture of our organization. To get a clearer picture of how we are performing in comparison with our peers, I worked with consultants from the Association for College and Research Libraries…
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Beginning Anew: The 2022-2023 University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Report
By Liz Kiscaden, Dean and University Librarian Announcing the 2022-2023 University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Report. My tenure as dean and university librarian began in mid-August 2023, a time of great growth at the University of Cincinnati. I’ve spent these past six months learning as much as I can about the Libraries – how our mission to “empower discovery, stimulate learning and inspire the creation of knowledge by connecting students, faculty, researchers and scholars to dynamic data, information and resources” supports the university’s NEXT Lives Here Strategic Directions. Documents such as the Annual Report have been key to my education. In this Annual Report, we look back at the top…
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An interview with Liz Kiscaden, Dean and University Librarian
On August 14, 2023, Elizabeth Kiscaden began her tenure at the University of Cincinnati Libraries as dean and university librarian, coming to UC from Creighton University where she was the university librarian and assistant vice provost of library services. Following is an interview with Liz about her professional background, immediate goals for the new position and her early impressions of UC Libraries, as well as how she is having fun exploring Cincinnati. Please tell us your professional background Prior to beginning my tenure at UC, I was the university librarian and assistant vice provost of library services at Creighton University, a Jesuit university located in Omaha, NE. At Creighton, I…
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Note from the Dean
How does that saying go about change? “The only constant in life is change.” We who work in academia know this to be very true – change, both enacted and exacted, is constant. Each year we see students graduate in the summer and then a whole new cohort of students begin at the university in the fall. We welcome new faculty and researchers to the library. We bring in new collections and update and create services and spaces to meet the changing needs of our diverse user group. This past year, serving as your interim dean, I’ve been both an active agent of and a witness to great changes in…
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Announcing Elizabeth Kiscaden as the next Dean and University Librarian
Elizabeth Kiscaden, MLIS, AHIP, has been named dean and university librarian of the University of Cincinnati Libraries, effective Aug. 14, pending approval by the UC Board of Trustees. Kiscaden currently serves as university librarian and assistant vice provost of library services at Creighton University. While at Creighton, she has worked to modernize legacy library systems and infrastructure to support an anytime, anywhere, any device philosophy and is overseeing the development of a single library enterprise, bringing together campus and health sciences libraries. “We conducted a national search for a new leader to guide the University of Cincinnati’s renowned libraries, and Elizabeth Kiscaden emerged at the top,” says Valerio Ferme, PhD,…
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Annual Progress Report
A Year of New Beginnings… Welcome to the 2021-22 University of Cincinnati Libraries Annual Progress Report – a year that saw the broad return of students, faculty and staff to campus for fall semester. The transition from virtual to in-person was an extensive process as library spaces were re-evaluated to allow for a safe return to working and studying on campus. We welcomed students, faculty and staff back to campus with refreshed spaces, enhanced safety protocols for social distancing and a revived appreciation for working together in person. The year also saw the announcement of our renewed Strategic Framework: NEXT Directions. The University of Cincinnati’s NEXT Lives Here Strategic Directions focus…
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Note from the Dean: A Focus on Students
Students are why we’re here. This issue of Source includes articles that feature student workers, celebrates students return to our spaces and highlights events and support for students. One of my main focuses upon being named interim dean and university librarian is to foster student success and the Libraries pivotal role in that success. As part of our mission to empower discovery, stimulate learning and inspire the creation of knowledge by connecting students, faculty, researchers and scholars to dynamic data, information and resources, the University of Cincinnati Libraries fuels student success, research, scholarship and engagement with the community. We forge pathways to discovery and empower students, faculty and researchers to…
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A final note from Dean Xuemao Wang
This summer, UC Libraries bids farewell to Dean Xuemao Wang as he leaves the university for Northwestern University. Wang has served as dean and university librarian at the University of Cincinnati since 2012. In 2019 he took on the additional title and responsibilities of vice provost of digital scholarship. During his tenure, Wang worked with library faculty and staff to raise the Libraries’ visibility regionally, nationally and internationally through the development of a Strategic Plan that focused on the four pillars of Digital Technologies and Innovation, People, Space, Data to Information to Knowledge. He emphasized agility, innovation and collaboration as we worked to achieve our vision to become the globally…
