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Memorial: Jennifer Paustenbaugh, 1962–2019

Jennifer Paustenbaugh
Jennifer Paustenbaugh, photo by Leah Kelson/BYU

Jennifer Ford Paustenbaugh, university librarian at Brigham Young University (BYU), died on November 23, 2019, at age 57, following a long battle with breast cancer.

Paustenbaugh began her career in academic libraries at Indiana University Bloomington where she served as assistant to the dean of libraries from 1988 to 1990. From 1990 to 2013, she held several positions at Oklahoma State University Library, including executive director of the Women’s Archives and associate dean of libraries for planning and assessment. In 2013 she was appointed university librarian at BYU, a position she held until her death.

Paustenbaugh was active in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), serving on the Board of Directors since 2018, where she also served as a member of the Audit Committee in 2019 and the Finance Committee in 2018–2019. She provided substantial leadership to ARL’s Research and Analytics program through her service as chair of the Research and Analytics Committee in 2016–2017, chair of the Assessment Program Visioning Task Force in 2017, member of the 2016 and 2018 Library Assessment Conference Steering Committees, and co-chair of the ACRL/ARL Joint Advisory Task Force on IPEDS Academic Libraries Component Definitions in 2016–2019. In addition, Paustenbaugh was an engaged participant in the Strategic Thinking and Design work in 2015–2016 that led to the current ARL Action Plan. She also served on the Influencing Public Policies Committee and the Nominating Committee in 2014.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, December 2, at 10:30 a.m. at the Canyon Ridge Stake Center, 1911 E. 1850 S., Spanish Fork, Utah. Interment will follow at the Spanish Fork City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested contributions be made either to the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Huntsman Cancer Foundation, 500 Huntsman Way, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108-1235, or to the Jennifer Paustenbaugh Inspiring Learning Endowment at the Brigham Young University Library.

For more information about Paustenbaugh’s life and career, see her obituary.

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