Rewriting the Book on Libraries: UMD's New Dean a Digital Leader
COLLEGE PARK,Md. - The University of Maryland has named as its new dean of university libraries, Patricia A. Steele - a national leader in the Google Project and other efforts to digitize collections creating wider access to universities' information resources. Steele, described as a visionary and dynamic leader, currently directs the libraries at Indiana University Bloomington. She begins at Maryland on Sept. 1.
(Media-Newswire.com) - COLLEGE PARK,Md. - The University of Maryland has named as its new dean of university libraries, Patricia A. Steele - a national leader in the Google Project and other efforts to digitize collections creating wider access to universities' information resources. Steele, described as a visionary and dynamic leader, currently directs the libraries at Indiana University Bloomington. She begins at Maryland on Sept. 1.
"Librarians offer an important voice in this emerging technology environment and Maryland is an especially exciting place to work right now," says Steele. "The University has a dynamic vision for the future and appreciates the role libraries can play in achieving it. We'll be able to collaborate with top researchers on campus, and our enviable proximity to the nation's capital will give great access to the many leadership organizations."
"As the number three state in the nation for technology leadership," Steele adds, "Maryland clearly respects the importance of access to information and knowledge transfer. I believe, in fact, that information access is an essential element helping to drive the state's economy. Lots of seeds have been planted here, and I'm very impressed with what I've seen."
Among Steele's national leadership activities:
Member of the top-level academic library team renegotiating with Google in the project to digitize and make freely available on the Web millions of books;
As member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation ( CIC ), a group of academic libraries working to incorporate academic collections in the Google Project, leads the effort to digitize project's first "collection of distinction";
Co-founded the HathiTrust, a shared digital library of leading research libraries;
Founding board member of CLOCKSS - a joint venture between scholarly publishers and research libraries to preserve Web-based scholarly publications. "Pat Steele is a major appointment for Maryland that will keep us at the leading edge of information," says University of Maryland president C.D. Mote, Jr. "Her name is magic among librarians because she has led academic libraries through the changing technological landscape. She's at the forefront while simultaneously honoring the essential role that keeps libraries at the center of the research enterprise."
Steele emphasizes that university libraries must collaborate with units across campus, serving as a catalyst for change in the production, distribution and preservation of scholarly output. She also sees a teaching role for libraries, "assuring the information fluency" of students.
"I am excited about this appointment and confident that our libraries will continue to flourish under Dean Steele's capable leadership," says University of Maryland provost Nariman Farvardin. "Her vision for what a research university library can and should be will help us solidify our standing as a regional and national leader in the information economy."
"We are most fortunate to have Pat Steele," adds interim dean of libraries Desider Vikor. "She is a consummate administrator and an accomplished library leader, who brings innovation and a dynamic perspective to the emerging needs of research libraries. I look forward to working with her."
Steele's appointment also draws approval from the national Association of Research Libraries' executive director, Charles Lowry, formerly Maryland's dean of university libraries. "Pat's selection is welcome news," Lowry says. "She brings deep experience as a research library leader at Indiana and has contributed enormously to leading-edge library collaborations. It's always comforting to know that a member institution has found stellar leadership. It is doubly so for me personally that Maryland has."
Steele currently serves as the Ruth Lilly Dean of University Libraries at Indiana University Bloomington, a position she has held since 2005.
A high resolution photo of Steele is available online. More information on the UMD Dean of Libraries is here.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Neil Tickner Senior Media Relations Associate University of Maryland 301-405-4622 ntickner@umd.edu
Eric Bartheld Director of Communications Indiana University Bloomington Libraries 812-856-4817 ebarthel@indiana.edu
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