PSU looks to hire new university librarian

Portland State is currently conducting final interviews for the position of university librarian. A new university librarian became a necessity in June 2010 after previous librarian Helen Spalding retired. Adriene Lim replaced Spalding on an interim basis for the 2010–11 school year, but left to take a job at another library. For 2011–12, Lynn Chmelir agreed to become the new interim librarian, but only for a year, which made finding a new, permanent librarian a top priority for PSU.

“We are looking for someone capable of working in an environment where they can manage all issues while library material gets more expensive. We’re also looking for someone who is comfortable with working in a collaborative environment,” said Roy Koch, PSU provost and vice president for academic affairs.

A hiring decision could be made in a few weeks, although it is expected to take longer than that. The new librarian will be chosen from a current field of three candidates: Lynn Baird, Peter McDonald and Marilyn Moody. Each recently gave a presentation on the PSU campus regarding opportunities and challenges they expect to encounter over the next five years as well as how they would respond to them.

Baird has worked as the dean of library services at the University of Idaho for the past five years and has helped create numerous new jobs at the library in her time there. She wishes to look ahead into the future and help PSU’s library become more modernized and provide more services.

McDonald has been employed as the dean of library services at California State University, Fresno. He has 25 years of higher education experience and has also worked at the libraries of Syracuse University and Cornell University.

Moody has worked as the dean of the university library at Boise State University since 2006. She has held positions in university administration at Boise State, as well as at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of Buffalo.

According to Koch, the traditional model for a university library is changing and has gone from being an archive of printed material to being primarily a center for students to learn and study. As such, Koch believes that a top priority of the new university librarian should be creating an environment where students can feel comfortable doing work.

“The Sandbox and the Writing Center are examples of the library moving toward student learning and interaction,” Koch said.

Koch explained that university libraries are in the midst of a transitional period between the printed age and digital age. He said the best model for a university library is to strike a balance between the two mediums, which he thinks will be the best way to advance student learning while still maintaining the traditional library model and level of usefulness.

“One of the trends in academic libraries is to create networks—to create a collaborative effort at archiving and sharing material. This provides access to a larger archive of material. We want someone who can appreciate that idea and be a part of it,” Koch said.

Koch referenced the Orbis Cascade Alliance as an example of an innovative library decision, as it links PSU with 35 other universities in the Northwest, allowing for the sharing of valuable library services. The Alliance’s main goal is to enrich the academic lives of students through the sharing of these services. Millar Library and PSU share this objective, which helped encourage their participation in it.

As PSU students are the primary users of the library and the information and resources that it provides, they are being kept in mind with regard to the hiring of the new librarian, including how the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate play into students’ wants and needs.

“It would be cool if the library had more study rooms and such,” said philosophy junior Max Aguirre. “But I think the library is quite nice in general; they do really well with the limited space there is.”

Students can view candidates’ resumes and cover letters online at www.pdx.edu/oaa/university-librarian-search-0.