Community Updates

Mary Lee Kennedy, image © Harvard CollegeMary Lee Kennedy, senior associate provost for the Harvard Library, has been appointed chief library officer at New York Public Library (NYPL), effective May 15, 2013. This is a newly created position that is tasked with accelerating NYPL’s digital initiatives and strengthening the research and circulating divisions of the library through cooperation. For details, see the March 15 NYPL press release, "Mary Lee Kennedy Appointed as Chief Library Officer at NYPL."

The University of Oklahoma (OU) Libraries have tapped Carl Grant to serve as their new associate dean for knowledge services and chief technology officer. Grant is currently an independent consultant and an executive advisor to the dean at Virginia Tech University Libraries. Today he posted on his blog about his new appointment at OU, his experience working with Tyler Walters at Virginia Tech, and the barriers he has encountered when trying to move from "the 'business' side of the library profession" back to "the library side."

"Reading the Emancipation Proclamation," engraving by J. W. Watte after drawing by H. W. Herrick (1864)To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Cornell University Library is publicly displaying its original copy, which holds some little-known history. President Abraham Lincoln signed the library’s copy of the historic document, which was set to be entered into the official record—but the President noticed a mistake made by the clerk transcribing the document. A new copy was prepared and signed later in the day, but the original version with the clerical error had already been leaked and circulated in several newspapers.

Frank Grisham, Connie Vinita Dowell, and John Lynch, image © Steve Green / Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt’s Television News Archive received the Governor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement from the MidSouth Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences during its awards ceremony January 26, 2013. TV News Archive, the world’s most extensive archive of national television news, received the Regional Emmy’s highest honor during the televised ceremony in Nashville. Dean of Libraries Connie Vinita Dowell accepted the award with TV News Archive Director John Lynch and Frank Grisham, former director of joint university libraries.

For more details and for video of the ceremony, see the Vanderbilt University news release.

Hunt Library at NCSU, image © NCSU

The James B. Hunt Jr. Library at North Carolina State University (NCSU) opened its doors on Wednesday, January 2. The Hunt Library, aspiring to be "the best learning and collaborative space in the country," features two learning commons, 100 group study rooms, dedicated areas for faculty and graduate students, and state-of-the art technology. For more information, visit the Hunt Library website.

Columbia's Low Library, image © Wally Gobetz

Columbia University Libraries (CUL) has announced the recipients of the inaugural Digital Centers Internship Program, jointly funded by the libraries and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Six Columbia graduate students have been awarded internships aimed at facilitating the collaboration between grad students, librarians, and technologists. These positions are rooted in research support activities in the humanities, science, and social science digital centers.