Steph Stevens for Harvard University (Steph Stevens for Harvard University via UC Berkeley News)
UC Berkeley has chosen a new University Librarian, Suzanne L. Wones, who is associate university librarian for discovery and access at Harvard Library. Wones, with 20 years’ experience as a leader in academic libraries, will start her new post July 1, following University Librarian Jeffrey MacKie-Mason’s retirement.
In a recent interview with Berkeley News, Wones said a love of libraries, which she developed in childhood, is part of her family tree, which includes her maternal grandmother, who was a town librarian, and her paternal grandmother, whose passion for libraries was honored after her death with a scholarship for library students.
The best part of being a librarian, said Wones, “is being part of the solution” for those searching for the right resources to gain knowledge and advance their research. At Berkeley, she’ll be chief executive officer of a system of 20 campus libraries, working with faculty, staff and students to keep the UC Berkeley Library strong, pivotal and relevant for today’s users.
Berkeley’s commitment to open access — the free, immediate, online availability of research published in journals and books — attracted Wones to the position, as well as the many other ways the campus strives to remedy global inequities.
“At this point in my life,” Wones wrote to the hiring committee, “I would not work for an institution that did not expressly call out this work as a strategic priority.” She pledged to bring that mindset to Berkeley “and strive to create a culture at the library where we acknowledge that we are constantly learning, growing and working together to create local and global change.
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.
