SLIS alumna Susan Gibbons (MLS’95) is the University Librarian at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Her appointment began on July 1, 2011, and was featured in Yale’s Newsletter - Yale News (March 21, 2011). An excerpt is included here:
- "Susan brings to Yale both a keen intelligence and an infectious enthusiasm for the work of libraries," wrote [Yale President] Richard C. Levin in a message to the campus community. "She is greatly admired by faculty and staff colleagues at Rochester, as well as by librarians around the country, for her effective and highly collaborative style of leadership. She fully understands the challenges facing a great research library: that we must continue to maintain and augment our extraordinary print collections, and, at the same time, embrace the exciting possibilities of greater and more efficient use of scholarly materials through digital technology."
- Gibbons received a B.A. in history from the University of Delaware in 1992, and in 1995 master's degrees in both history and library science from Indiana University-Bloomington. More recently, she returned to school while working full-time to earn both a M.B.A. in 2002 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an Ed.D. in higher education administration from the University of Rochester in 2009.
In an email interview, Susan gave us details on her new job as well as some tips for future librarians.
Main Job Duties: I am responsible for the third largest academic library in the U.S., which has more than 12.8 million volumes, a staff of over 500, and 18 library facilities on the Yale campus.
Favorite Aspects: I enjoy working at the senior level of the university to ensure that we can support and enhance research, teaching and learning at Yale. We work in service to the academic mission of Yale University and the service orientation of my job is very rewarding.
Tips for Students: I attended IU SLIS assuming that someday I would be a history bibliographer. If I had held fast to that plan, I would not have the job satisfaction that I have today and likely would be unemployed. My advice to students is to say "yes" to whatever opportunity arises, even if seems to be aiming you down a different path. Seek experiences that force you to stretch, but stay true to your moral compass. A bad experience is still a learning experience and you will be stronger for it. It is really a lot of clichés, many of which I heard from my parents growing up, but, as much as I hate to admit it, they were right.
Posted February 22, 2012