Committee searches for new dean of university libraries

The search for the new dean of university libraries has begun.

Last week, a 20-person search committee for the position of dean of university libraries was chosen, according to Thomas Miller, search committee chair and associate provost.

The new dean will be picked and in place before current Dean Carla Stoffle steps down, which means there will be no interim dean.

Approximately 10-15 Skype interviews are expected to be conducted and the finalists will have a public forum by mid-April.

The search committee will consider both outside and internal
candidates for the position and is comprised of both library faculty and faculty from other departments, as well as a student.

Some commented on the skills Stoffle brought to the position.

“She’s [Stoffle] incredibly well respected, influential nationally and within the state,” Miller said. “20 years is a long run for a dean.”

Stoffle has been the dean of university libraries since 1991.

She is stepping down because it has been a “long time,” and it is time for a fresh start, Stoffle said.

Stoffle said she would advise the next dean to “trust and believe” in the library faculty.

After she steps down, Stoffle said she will take a sabbatical so she can start writing a book. She will return to the UA as a
professor in the School of Information Resources and Library Science for the fall 2014 semester.

Those who have worked with Stoffle commented on her innovations and contribution to the library. One of Stoffle’s biggest accomplishments was helping the libraries transition from print to digital resources.

“I know she [Stoffle] was really instrumental in seeing way before it happens, seeing the revolution of the Internet,” assistant librarian Yvonne Mery said. “I know a lot of folks didn’t quite believe her when she first started saying that.”

Melanie Hupp, the dean’s administrative assistant of seven and a half years, said it has been a “privilege” to work with the dean, and that she “admires” her commitment to the university.

“I am enormously proud of the people that we have recruited [and] I have worked with here, and I am proud of our relationship with students and the work we have done with student leaders and involving students in the library,” Stoffle said.