Now in the final months of my tenure at the University of Rochester, I’ve been thinking broadly about the University libraries.

For Rochester’s size, our libraries—the Charlotte Whitney Allen Library (Memorial Art Gallery), Medical Center Libraries, the River Campus Libraries, and the Sibley Music Library (Eastman School of Music)—have an embarrassment of riches. Our overall collection exceeds three million titles, and through memberships and partnerships, our community has easy access to more than 30 million additional items. And our Interlibrary Loans service puts any other needed materials, from anywhere around the world, at the fingertips of our researchers. I can assure you, our libraries are punching above their weight class.

I could tell you what makes each library strong, but instead, I want to highlight how they work together to leverage resources and expertise for the greater good of the University and the community it serves. Through collaboration, we:

  • Upgraded the libraries’ back-end, library management system to provide better management of electronic resources
  • Replaced Summon, the libraries’ previous existing discovery software, with Primo VE or, as it’s more broadly known now, DiscoverUR. Primo is not only a more robust platform, but it’s a more natural pair for Alma, our back-end management system.
  • Created a shared scholarly resource strategy to address the increasing complexity and cost of scholarly publications, including a shared commitment to electronic resource management and licensing practices and leveraging access to materials via Interlibrary Loans
  • Led the campaign to adopt ORCID, a global standard that provides Rochester researchers the ability to authoritatively claim their research outputs, track their publications, check their data sets and grants, and more broadly, help sustain and enhance Rochester’s reputation.
  • Developed a sustainable scholarship strategy, a principled action to make scholarship more open, affordable, sustainable, and transparent in order to make the world ever better. This includes sharing the cost of subscriptions, managing costs through vendor negotiations with NERL, and partnering with faculty on an open access policy for the University wherein scholarly articles from Rochester authors are published by default for free public access
  • Embarked on a project to steward and preserve the University’s unique digital assets to ensure these are available for future generations
  • Continued to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through programs, education, and engagement through the Libraries Diversity and Inclusion Committee

In addition to the list above, the libraries have a unique status in the academy, governed by a policy called “Classification, Appointment and Promotion of Library Professionals.” This policy supports career advancement using academic standards, criteria, and expectations. And to stay current with the dynamic and ever-changing research libraries landscape, the libraries also share opportunities for professional development.

I share all of this as a sample of what has made it a privilege to serve as dean of the University of Rochester Libraries. Regardless of our size, we are mighty! I have the utmost confidence our libraries will continue to contribute to Rochester’s academic mission and provide transformative experiences for students and the faculty through their unique and diverse collections, collaborative initiatives, expertise, services, spaces, and technologies.

Mary Ann Mavrinac
Vice Provost and Andrew H. and Janet Dayton Neilly Dean
University of Rochester Libraries