First candidate for dean of libraries visits campus

The first of three finalists for the position of dean of libraries at USU visited the campus Thursday and Friday.

Anne Langley came to USU for interviews and a 90-minute open forum Thursday during which she was available to answer questions.

According to the Provost’s Office’s Web site, the dean of libraries “will provide dynamic and visionary leadership of the Merrill-Cazier Library.” The position is one of academic leadership, and the individual chosen will have the rank of librarian, which is equivalent to the rank of professor, according to the Provost’s Office’s Web site. The dean will report to the Executive Vice President and Provost Ray Coward and will “represent the informational needs of constituents to the university.”

Langley is currently coordinator of public services assessment and chemistry librarian at Duke University, where she is also an adjunct professor of chemistry. She has been at Duke for nearly a decade and has also held library positions at North Carolina State University and at the University of Tennessee.

Langley got her undergraduate degree in English and creative writing, with a minor in German at Georgia State University, and holds a master’s degree in library science from the University of Tennessee.

She has served as a consultant for information science and library projects and as an expert witness in chemical patent court cases. She is the chair of the science, technology and medicine collections working group of the Triangle Research Libraries Network and has published two books and several articles.

The other two candidates for dean of libraries are Richard Clement of the University of Kansas and Gregg Sapp of the State University of New York at Albany.

Clement’s open forum is Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 4 p.m. in the Merrill-Cazier Library Room 101.

Sapp’s open forum is Tuesday, Oct. 30, at 4 p.m., also in the library Room 101.