Lisa A. German will be the next University Librarian and Dean of Libraries, effective February 28, 2020, pending approval by the Board of Regents at its December meeting. Karen Hanson, Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Minnesota, made the announcement this afternoon.
An accomplished research library leader who comes to Minnesota from the University of Houston, German will be the executive and strategic leader of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Hanson said that she will ensure the Libraries’ continued excellence as an exemplary research library system at the center of the University’s academic mission and will maintain and advance its important role as Minnesota’s research library.
German has over 25 years of experience in leadership of academic libraries. The dean of libraries and Elizabeth D. Rockwell Chair at the University of Houston Libraries since 2015, she previously served in leadership positions for the large research libraries at Penn State University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has proven experience managing a large and complex organization, a demonstrated commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion, and a substantial record of accomplishments advancing innovation, inclusive excellence, and national collaborations among academic research universities.
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Her many other accomplishments include the creation of a Digital Research Commons supporting faculty and student research in the humanities, social sciences, and experimental sciences; expansion of special collections and research services; successful fundraising; the opening of a new Health Sciences Library; and leadership in the development of a university-wide Open Educational Resources program. This latter involved a partnership with the provost on an alternative textbook incentive program that reduced student textbook costs while expanding instructional flexibility.
German holds the master of library and information science degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She publishes, presents, and is an expert consultant on topics related to library collections, management, planning, policy development, implementation, and assessment. Engaged nationally as an academic library leader, German recently led strategic planning for the Greater Western Library Alliance, a consortium of 39 research libraries across the United States. She has been active in the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, has been a member of the editorial board for its peer-reviewed journal, and has served as a mentor for the Association of Research Libraries Leadership Fellows Program, having been part of its inaugural cohort earlier in her career. Within the Big Ten Academic Alliance, she has been involved in collaborations related to acquisitions, collections, and technology.
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area.
He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
