Introduction
A fellow library director once jokingly told me that a good administrator is “someone who surrounds him/herself with talented people, gives them the resources they need to do their work, and then gets out of their way.” As I was preparing this summary of my 5 years as University Librarian, I was frequently reminded of this definition. Very few, if any, of the projects and accomplishments discussed here are mine alone. Library work, by its very nature, is collaborative, especially in a large, decentralized campus with a large, decentralized library system. Over the years, as the Libraries have become more dependent on integrated library technologies and have increasingly partnered with ITS and faculty on teaching and research initiatives, our work has become even more collaborative. For some of the initiatives listed in this summary, my participation was limited to providing approval and resources to talented people and getting out of their way. For others, I was much more actively involved.
I have been blessed with an administrative team of knowledgeable, creative, and collegial colleagues, (Edward Shreeves, Larry Woods, Nancy Seamans, Jean Sayre, Susan Marks, William Sayre, and previously Janice Simmons-Welburn). All of them deserve much of the credit for what we have accomplished along with the dedicated, hard-working, and ever-adaptable library staff who has been willing to think creatively, to experiment with new ways of accomplishing the library’s changing agenda, and to respond affirmatively to demands for new services in an information environment in constant flux. All of which occurred during times of limited budgets. At the same time, they have balanced these new challenges with the on-going need for a traditional, print-based library.
I have also enjoyed a very supportive University Administration and community of faculty, staff, and students during a period even as resources became more limited. The members of the University Libraries Committee and the Libraries’ Development Advisory Board have been indispensable for their sound advice and good ideas. Needless to say, all of this support has made a tremendous difference.
When I interviewed for this position in 2000, then Provost Jon Whitmore told me he wanted the Libraries to continue to be an innovative leader in library automation. He also said that Iowa needed someone to head the University Libraries who could work effectively and collaboratively with others on campus and in the libraries, as well as with colleagues at a national and regional level. Both were common themes that I heard from others throughout my interview and ones that have guided much of my work over the past 5 years. In addition, I wanted to develop a coordinated program for digital initiatives, to adapt our services as the needs and usage patterns of our library users changed, to make sure we continued to spend our limited budget as wisely as possible, and to initiate a plan for coping with the serious collection storage and other facilities problems. I am pleased to say that we have made inroads in all these areas.
I originally planned to organize this discussion around the goals of the Libraries’ Strategic Plan (Appendix A). But since many of the specific accomplishments of the past five years fulfill multiple goals, I opted instead to organize this summary into eight broad categories (randomly arranged).
Under each of these headings is a brief introductory paragraph followed by a list of major activities, all of which fulfill one or more goals of our Strategic Plan. Supplementary material is provided as appendices.